


Dying to Live Again

by ellenchain



Category: Hitman (Video Games)
Genre: 47 is bad at flirting, Diana the mother hen, Diana the new Constant, Events play after Hitman 3, Fix-It, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Lucas & 47 are kinda ace, Lucas is a good boi, M/M, Olivia the helping hand, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Temporary Amnesia, There will be mature content though, a few targets die, they all love each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:55:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 63,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29180637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellenchain/pseuds/ellenchain
Summary: After Providence was infiltrated by Diana and previous contacts were successively eliminated, 47 decided to go back to her. When he returned to England and had a contract to fulfil near Plymouth, it wasn't just memories that came back: Lucas Grey walked through the same club as his target.aka: Lucas is still alive, but lost his memories. 47 tries to get his friend back and in the process gets to know (and love) him in a new way.This is my part in making up for what happened in Hitman 3.
Relationships: Agent 47 & Diana Burnwood, Agent 47/Lucas Grey
Comments: 87
Kudos: 39





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello you few people who ship 47 and Lucas!  
> After playing Hitman 3 and being paralysed with grief for a week, I now want to do my bit. For all those who also live in rejection, this is for you :')
> 
> I'm mainly referring to the trilogy, but I'll insert references from the comic and Blood Money here and there. But it is not necessary to know both.
> 
> i also apologize if i describe both characters a bit OOC. Lucas in that case doesn't remember and 47... it's pretty hard to write from his point of view! So apologies for that if anything seems weird to you guys. Nevertheless, I always try to stay true to the original :-)
> 
> The story is not finished yet, but I will try to upload regularly! And: English is not my mother tongue. Sorry for any mistakes!

Providence was destroyed. Soon, at least, Diana promised. She now sat at the Constant's post, trying to destroy the remaining links to the previous Providence.

47 had taken a year off from killing after everything that had happened. He wanted to internalise and reflect on his newfound freedom. But no matter what he did, it didn't feel like freedom. He travelled a lot and visited places he had only been to before to fulfil an assignment. Now he took his time, just sat down on a park bench and watched the people. But there was an emptiness inside him, so deep and dark that most days he woke up not knowing what to do. After a week of taking apart, cleaning and reassembling every gun he owned, only to find himself standing outside a gun shop to buy a new gun to clean, he had to admit to himself that his life no longer had any real purpose.

Besides, he missed Diana. She had been with him for 20 years. She had become an integral part of his life. Her orders and instructions always guided him. Suddenly it was all gone and 47 didn't know how to deal with it. When, after a year, he had decided to seek out Diana to assist her in her quest to destroy Providence from within, it felt like coming home. 47 knew that it was exactly what he wanted to cast off – having a new master. But the person who had sparked the rebellion in him and was freedom personified was no longer there. So what was left for him but to return to his old life? He loved his job. It was what he was good at. And he and Diana were a great team. But sometimes, when he was about to fall asleep, he would see him standing in that sea of black. His disapproving gaze pierced 47. Eyes so full of sadness and yet understanding that 47 did not share the will for freedom.

After a few months back in business, 47 had to go back to England to eliminate a businessman who dealt in stocks. He had been remotely involved with Providence and was now trying to buy his way into the organisation with bribes, having heard of the coup and probably hoping to fill empty positions. But Diana kept her word and undermined every person’s position that even came near her. There were days when he heard the dark, raspy voice in his head ask " _are you sure she doesn't enjoy the power she has?_ ". 47 was sure Diana enjoyed it. But he also knew that she would never betray him. She had proved that many times now, even if her ways of doing so had often been of a questionable nature.

When 47 arrived in England and it was as grey as it had been last time, he felt the heaviness in his body return. Back then, when it happened, everything had to happen so quickly. He had no time to grieve. After all, he had to bring down an organisation and kill the Constant. But the memories of the forest came back in the first weeks of freedom and haunted him even in his dreaMs Sometimes he had to watch the scene again and again without really being able to do anything. Shot after shot he saw the gun pointing at his chin, shouting something and pulling the trigger.

Sometimes they would just stand together in the forest and look at each other. They said nothing, but waited until the sun rose on the horizon and 47 woke up in his bed. He hadn't cried since childhood and he couldn't shed a tear this time either. But he felt the pressure behind his eyes grow stronger whenever he thought about losing his best friend again. And this time forever.

Much worse were the many unanswered questions that plagued 47. Why had he never spoken to Diana about her parents? Why had he lied in Haven that everything was going according to plan when it definitely wasn't? Why did he shoot himself in the head when everything he wanted was still ahead of him? 47 was there after all - he would have helped him. They would have made it. There was no reason to end it so soon. But whenever he asked himself all the questions, the same happened: nothing.

As he checked into the hotel in Plymouth and slowly made his way to the hotel room, he felt his bones grow heavy. In the last 1.5 years, he had often wished he hadn't got his memories back. The dull feelings came back with them. The fear, the anger. And the inability to simply push away stressful events. Everything still felt like it was wrapped in cotton wool. Real feelings, like any other human being had, were still not spreading in 47. But this dull feeling inside was making itself more than clear.

In the evening Diana had given him the instructions for the contract again. It was a party at an underground club that would have little security. 47 could infiltrate as a bartender and poison the target's drink. Alternatively, he could pretend to be security and put the man in a freezer after he shot him. 47 wasn't sure how he would go about it yet, but he was confident as ever that everything would go smoothly.

The next day was rainy and cold. Autumn showed itself from its worst side. Winter was about to start. Nevertheless, 47 dressed up and approached the club. Muffled music could already be heard a few streets away. The people going in and out wore mainly black clothes. The closer 47 got to the entrance and already heard the menacing bouncers, he had to raise his eyebrows.

"A stockbroker partying in a heavy metal club?" he asked quietly into his microphone, knowing Diana was listening.

"William Marsh has a weakness for the alternative scene and has been going to clubs like this for many years. He likes to take young women from the gothic or metal scene. Probably a fetish," he heard Diana say in his ear. Finally, she sighed. "Thank God it's not minors according to the file."

47 didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't respond at all. He just walked confidently towards the entrance, where one of the bouncers was already eyeing him critically. Just before 47 could go in, one of the bouncers stopped him.

"You're definitely in the wrong place with that fancy suit," he grumbled and crossed his arms to make it clear that he wasn't going to move from his position. 47 was already itching to give the guy a left hook to the chin.

Without a word, 47 turned and walked around the building. There stood a man with the same figure and size as him. He was frantically talking on the phone and didn't seem to pay 47 any attention. A glance at the smoking patrons outside the club was enough and 47 took the opportunity. Less than a minute later, the man landed in a dumpster and 47 slipped on the last of his studded wristbands. With a new disguise and silly jingling chains around his hips, he walked to the entrance again. The bouncers, apparently blind, did not recognise 47 and let him in this time.

It didn't take long before 47 saw his target. The man was sitting in a separate VIP area and was already chatting with some women, all of whom had colourful hair and a lot of piercings. 47 stood at a nearby bar and watched the action. A few minutes passed before Mr Marsh got up to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, he was accompanied by two guards, but 47 followed them anyway. Just before the door, 47 already reached into his trouser pocket and clasped the side of the fibre wire. In the end, he always killed his targets differently than planned. But that was what made his job so exciting.

The door to the men's room opened and a man came out with big steps. He staggered a little, collided harshly with Mr Marsh and immediately raised an apologetic hand.

"Oh, excuse me," he said in a mumble.

47 stopped immediately when he recognised the man's face.

The club was dark, the music loud and the coloured lights distorted people's faces enormously, but 47 was sure he had just seen Lucas Grey.

His target cursed softly and went into the bathroom, leaving the guards outside. The time window was over and 47 still stood rooted to the spot in the corridor. The man who was supposed to be a ghost finally disappeared into the crowd.

47 didn't know what to do. He had a job to do. His target was right behind the toilet door. But a completely different target had just appeared, who seemed to want to leave.

„47? Is everything all right?" he heard Diana ask in his ear. Only then did his body start moving again. With quick steps he walked to the cloakroom, glanced around but did not see the man anywhere. Without thinking further, he scurried behind the cloakroom, pacified a man in a club T-shirt and slipped said T-Shirt on. Back at the VIP area, he saw Mr Marsh approaching, but he still had enough time to poison his champagne. The girls around him were too busy with themselves to notice that 47 was not actually a bartender.

Finally, he scurried out of the VIP area and looked for a dark corner. Someone wanted to know if the Cola-Whiskey Special was still available, but 47 just sent them to the bar. Finally, the target sipped the drink and began to cough. That was all 47 needed to see, so he turned on his heel and headed for the exit with his usual quick steps.

"The target is dead. Well done 47, the money will be in your account in the next few hours," Diana praised him for what should have been a cruel act. Normally Diana switched off the microphone and let him walk to the hotel in peace. This time, however, she huffed. "What was going on earlier? Why did you hesitate?"

"A man came out of the bathroom," 47 breathed into the cool night air as he walked down the street. "He looked like Grey."

"Oh," he heard her murmur. "A man who looked like Grey, then? I imagine you'll meet a few more who resemble him..."

"It was him."

„47…“

"I'm never wrong."

Diana would have liked to disagree. But instead of her continuing to talk about ghosts, she sighed quietly and replied calmly, "All right, 47. I'll run a scan over the CCTV footage of the club and the surrounding streets. If it was Mr Grey, he will surely be visible somewhere."

"He's good at not being found."

Diana seemed to smirk. 47 could practically hear it through the phone. "I'm good at finding people. As soon as I find something, I'll be in touch. For now, 47, get back to the hotel safely and I'll talk to you soon."

Then she hung up. 47 felt the wetness and coldness move through his bones and was glad to have arrived at the hotel. But he could not sleep. Was it really possible that he had seen him? 6 had always been a messy shooter. But he hadn't been so bad as to miss his own head, either.

With a thousand thoughts and questions, 47 lay awake in his bed most of the night staring at the ceiling. Diana didn't get in touch until the next morning. 


	2. 2

When 47 heard his mobile phone ring, he immediately got up from the bed and moved towards the small table in the middle of the hotel room. His laptop was already open next to his Silverballers. For a small moment, 47 hesitated to answer the phone. As soon as he put it to his ear, he heard Diana's familiar voice.

"You were right, 47, it was Lucas Grey," she dropped straight into the conversation with what was probably the most important piece of information in months.

47 held his breath. "...How?" was all he could get out.

"I checked the club cameras and the cameras on the surrounding streets last night and analysed them for Mr Grey's profile. In fact, several devices had filmed him. He didn't seem particularly on guard - quite the opposite. He showed himself in the open street with a woman by his side, who has an important role in his sudden appearance. After digging a little deeper, I found that Mr Grey was admitted to a nearby hospital the day after he took his own life. Two hunters found the presumed dead Mr Grey in the forest and immediately called the ambulance."

Diana's words began to sting in 47's chest. He had left his best friend there. For many weeks he had inwardly blamed himself for not burying him properly. When he returned to the forest after the Constant's death and found no body, he suspected that wild animals had taken him. The guilt that had accompanied him since then now formed into a positive surprise.

"I can only assume that Mr Grey has similar good genes as you, 47. It's like a miracle that he's alive. I went through the medical records. Mr Grey was admitted at dawn. The bullet lodged in his skull and stopped deeper bleeding. Instead, he lost part of his tongue and his left eye. The tongue could be stitched, but the eye was taken out. A closer look at the cameras and the scan shows that he is now wearing a glass eye. In any case, the iris is not identical to the one he had before."

47 listened intently to Diana, not daring to interrupt. With slow movements he sat down on the hotel bed and stared down at the carpet. 6 was alive. It was actually like a miracle.

"Mr Grey was in hospital for almost a month, then in an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. According to their records, he had great difficulty speaking. And probably most importantly, he doesn't seem to remember anything."

"Nothing at all?" inquired 47, clutching his mobile phone.

"According to the files, he remembered several languages and had no problems solving mathematical problems So his cognitive abilities were not impaired. His reciprocal memory seems to be damaged only at certain points. He did not remember his name or where he came from. Apparently, Mr Grey had one of his many fake IDs with him. One such was found by the police and it was reported. Since Mr Grey was good at hiding his identity, the local police found nothing in their files. Apparently, they simply handed the passport back to Mr Grey and released him with it. In any case, the hospital has continued to keep all records under the name Lucas Grey."

"He can't remember anything to do with Providence?"

"I can't read that out of the files. At least it says here that he attempted suicide. That's probably why he was still in therapeutic treatment with Dr Ruth Davies, a psychiatrist at the facility where he went for rehabilitation, until six months ago. What exactly he remembers, unfortunately, I could not find out. Dr Davies seems to still keep her records on paper. Very backward." Diana snorted out once in annoyance. "Anyway, I've been able to trace Mr Grey further. He currently lives on the outskirts of Plymouth in a small 2 bedroom flat and works in a nursery as a kindergarten teacher. The daughter of one of the two hunters who found him also works there. She probably got him the job. She was also the one who was with him at the club yesterday. Her name is Zahra Rhodes. Normal girl, nothing special. They seem to have a good friendship. I couldn't find out if the relationship was a romantic one."

"So he doesn't remember us..."

"Or he has decided for himself to take this chance and live a life of complete freedom. The district is so small that none of his enemies seemed to have found him yet. His biggest enemies were Providence and so far, no one here had him on their radar. He seems to lead a normal life. Maybe he wanted to keep it that way."

47’s eyes clouded for a moment. Part of him sympathised with this decision. 6 loved his freedom and had given everything to preserve it. In the end, true freedom lay in the suicide he chose. Now another option had opened up, so he took it. With or without his best friend.

Another part of 47 struggled to accept that 6 would just go on living like this. After everything that had happened. Then again: he had only watched 47 for almost 30 years and not intervened. It was only when 47 provided some benefit that 6 sought contact. Another question that bothered 47 every now and then: why did he never contact him earlier?

"47, I can practically hear you thinking," Diana said, sighing softly into the phone. "I'm asking you not to contact him. We don't know how much he knows, and we don't know if he might be working for someone who could be acting against us."

"Against Providence?"

"You know what I mean. Mr Grey doesn't know that we are destroying Providence from within. If he finds out that we are now officially working for them, it might trigger the wrong reaction in him. He may also not remember and someone will use his abilities for themselves. We can't rule that out either."

"So what do you suggest?" 47 would have liked to have jumped up immediately, driven to that small suburban flat to confront 6.

"Wait and watch. I'll set up an agent to shadow him. When we have found out his behavioural patterns, we can think about contacting him. Although, again, there is the question of whether that would be such a good idea. Mr Grey is living a quiet life at the moment. Perhaps we should let him live it."

Diana was right. As always, 47 had to confess to himself. "I'd like to watch him."

"Denied. Aside from the fact that I have other contracts for you to take care of, I don't think it's healthy for you to be around him. I know you've handled his death well the last two years, but I want to avoid opening up old wounds."

"Do you think I'm unstable?"

"No. But I want you to stay stable. 47, since you got your memories back, a little part of you has changed. I just want to make sure that part doesn't get careless. We don't know who Mr Grey is now. For that reason, we need to be careful."

47 closed his eyes and thought for a brief moment. Diana was right about many things and it was probably a careless decision, but this wasn't about any target 47 had been handed. This was about Lucas Grey. Subject 6.

"I'll be careful," 47 said as deterministically as possible. "He won't notice me."

Diana sighed again. She knew she could have the last word if she wanted. After all, she was his superior now. But she decided against further discussion. "Very well. I will assign the other contracts to someone else. Watch him and report to me if anything unexpected happens. I will keep an eye on him through the cameras."

"Thank you," 47 said quietly and finally hung up. The information was still a little heavy in his stomach. But he quickly brushed the feeling away and went to his laptop. There he rummaged through everything Diana had sent him. From names and addresses to the position of this kindergarten. 47 wanted to look there first. He couldn't imagine Grey as a kindergarten teacher.

Or maybe he could?

The kindergarten was relatively large and seemed to contain children with a migrant background in particular. 47 stood in front of the building in a dark trench coat and studied the information board. They were advertising integration and innovative educational styles. If they knew they had a former CICADA agent in there who could kill someone with just a wave of his hand, the word "innovative" would take on a whole different meaning.

Next to the building, which was painted in bright colours, was a large playground where some children were already hopping around. 47 watched some of them from a safe distance beyond the fence. In fact, some of them were not speaking English, but Arabic, Spanish and Polish. Of course, 47 was already looking for the dark grey mop of hair. But he only saw female teachers outside. After he had circled the complex once, a nice blonde lady suddenly stood next to him.

"Can I help you? I saw that you were curiously studying our information board," she addressed 47. The latter turned around confidently and studied the woman. It was the hunter's daughter. Zahra Rhodes.

He heard his inner Diana speaking to him that he should gratefully decline and leave, but his curiosity won. "I have a young daughter. We have just moved here. I'd like to take a look at your facility sometime, but I haven't made an appointment."

"Oh, that's no problem," Ms Rhodes said kindly, smiling. If 47 remembered correctly, Ms Rhodes was 35 years old and also lived on the outskirts of town with her two cats. A romantic relationship with Grey was not out of the question. Probably 47 was far too close to the case. But if the damage was already done, he might as well use it to his advantage.

Ms Rhodes led 47 into the building through the main entrance. She began to tell what great activities they always do with the children and what concepts they espoused. "So what is your little girl's name? And how old is she?"

"Her name is Olivia. She's 3 years old," 47 replied, studying the aisles closely. Small shoes and jackets lay neatly on equally small benches. Some children shouted from a neighbouring room; others played catch through the corridor.

"Oh, still so young! We even had to form two groups for the three-year-olds at the moment. There are a lot of children coming to us at the moment. I'm sure Olivia will find a place in one of the two groups."

Before Ms Rhodes could continue, 47 interrupted her. "Who are the teachers of the groups?"

"We only hire well-trained staff," she assured 47. If Grey really did work here, that had already been a lie. "The three-year-olds are currently taken over by Ms Mars and Ms O'Ryan. The two of them have had a lot of experience with children and all speak at least two languages. But since your English is very good, I assume Olivia knows English too?"

"Yes."

"Very well!" But before Ms Rhodes could take another breath, 47 had to interrupt her again. The woman did not allow any other opportunity to get a word in edgewise.

"Olivia has been able to build good relationships with... male teachers so far. Do you have any like that here?"

Ms Rhodes bristled for a moment, but nodded immediately. "Of course. However, that will be a little difficult to implement because we only have two male teachers at the moment and they both run the 6-year-olds and above day care groups. But I can ask if they could at least take on a few shifts in the mornings. Or help plan day trips."

Suddenly they stopped. 47 saw the staff canteen. "Can I meet the male staff?"

"You are welcome to meet Mr Terry. I'm afraid Mr Grey isn't in the house today."

47 held his breath for a moment. With a fixed gaze he looked at Ms Rhodes. "Thank you, that won't be necessary. I'll have another look at your set-up."

"Okay," Ms Rhodes smiled, nervously kneading her hands. "Why don't you give us a call? Usually, the male teachers are there in the afternoon. Or come by again. Maybe with Olivia, so she can have a look at the groups and other children."

47 just nodded and started to leave. Ms Rhodes accompanied him to the door and finally saw him off with a friendly wave.

Of course, he could not let his curiosity rest. So 47 drove a borrowed BMW to the address where Grey was supposed to live. The neighbourhood was nothing special. Apartment buildings lined up one after the other. At the end of the street was a small supermarket and a few shops. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no vacancies directly opposite Grey's complex. Also, since this was about to become a long-term observation, 47 couldn't just break into a flat and hope he wouldn't have to keep anyone quiet.

After driving around the housing complex a few times, he saw the roof terrace of the small mall with shops. It appeared to be unguarded, though probably locked. But for 47 closed doors did not exist. So he pulled out his lockpick and scurried with quick steps past the rubbish containers to get to the stairs. It led directly to the roof terrace. There was no one to be seen. A lot of concrete and only ventilation shafts - no one else seemed to come up here either.

He sat down on the edge and let his eyes wander. Grey's flat should be on the second floor. Sure enough, the lights were on. But the curtains were drawn, so 47 couldn't see in very well. A good hour passed, during which 47 just sat there and waited. Grey was worth the patience. He just had to make sure that the figure he had seen so fleetingly and that Diana had supposedly recognised on camera footage was real.

The sun was setting and the light beyond the windows allowed more insight. A simple but cosy interior became recognisable. 47 reached for his small binoculars and tried to make out a person inside. Unfortunately, not all the windows went out to this side, but he could make out the living room and the open kitchen.

After a few minutes, the door of one of the other rooms opened and out came Grey. He looked tired and exhausted. As usual, he was wearing a black T-shirt and black trousers. But this time it was sweatpants that sat loosely around his hips. He shuffled into the kitchen, visibly hungover, and opened the fridge. From the freezer he pulled out a packet of instant meal. He poured the contents into a deep plate and put it in the microwave next to the fridge. Meanwhile, he poured himself a glass of water from the tap and drank almost half of it, only to fill it up again.

47 could hardly believe his own eyes. Seeing Grey in such an everyday setting was unusual. Even more unfamiliar was the fact that he was alive. That he stood there as if the night in the forest had never happened. It was only when he scratched his stomach absently, pulling his T-shirt up a little, that 47 could see the large scar from the gunshot wound. Grey leaned exhausted against the kitchen island and waited until his meal was ready. After a few minutes, he sat down on his small sofa and turned on the television. With his feet on the living room table, he sank a few inches into the cushions and began to eat his instant meal.

It was several hours before Grey finally got up and disappeared from 47's view. The lights went out. Presumably he went to bed. That was also an indication for 47 that he could go to his hotel.

"It was him," he told Diana on the phone. She had called him to see how he was.

"So, how is he?"

"Fine, I guess. He ate an instant meal."

"He didn't seem like the amateur cook to me either."

47 massaged his nasal bridge. In fact, Grey probably hadn't kicked that habit. Whenever they were travelling together, Grey wanted to eat fast food. It was quick and easy, 47 had to admit. But going to a good restaurant was just as quick and easy.

Diana remained silent for a while longer. "Any suspect activities?"

"No. I went to the kindergarten today. He seems to really work there. But I guess he had one glass of beer too many yesterday, which is why he stayed home today."

"That doesn't really sound like someone who works undercover somewhere...", Diana had to admit and seemed to ponder over this new information. But before she could formulate her thoughts, she put her own statement into perspective. "Nevertheless. Stay alert, 47. We still don't know what exactly happened and who he is now. I'll get back to you if I find anything. Otherwise, I trust you'll continue to keep your distance."

47 wanted to be as honest as possible with Diana. That's why he opted for the half-truth. "I'll try."

The next day he went to the kindergarten again. This time he sat down in a café opposite and kept his sunglasses on, even though it was raining. Around 11 o'clock, a man came to the kindergarten with a black umbrella. He closed it and shook off the remaining raindrops. Grey's dark grey hair was neatly combed back as usual. He had not parted with his three-day beard either. He looked the same as always. And he smiled broadly as he opened the entrance and the first children already came running towards him. He knelt down and hugged them tightly. The scene was so surreal for 47 that he forgot about his coffee in front of him.

Grey then greeted another teacher and finally went all the way into the building. The door closed and 47 lost sight of him.

For the rest of the day, 47 skulked around the kindergarten and ended up feeling like a bad stalker as he slowly ran out of places to hide. The kindergarten was in a residential area and a bald man in a trench coat was more than noticeable. Grey sometimes came out of the building and stood in front of the door with some of his colleagues. Everyone smoked except Grey. In the afternoon, when the rain let up, he went to the playground with a group of children and watched them romp around. Some of the children wanted to play with him, so they ran together across the muddy sand or threw dirty balls at each other. Towards the end of the day, he played football with some boys. They were already older children - the kindergarten seemed to provide afternoon care for children who were already school-age.

Grey laughed a lot. 47 couldn't take his eyes off him. Was this really still subject 6? Or actually another man?

"I told you to stay away," Diana scolded him affectionately as they spoke on the phone again that evening. "Maybe it's better you fly to Rome tomorrow. I have a safe flat for you there where you can prepare for your next assignment."

"Send someone else. I have yet to study his habits," 47 replied monotonously, clicking through the footage he had taken of Grey today to send to Diana.

"I'm afraid you won't rest until you've spoken to him."

"He has never given up on me. Not after thirty years. It would be wrong to let him down now."

"But he doesn't remember you, 47."

Then 47 stumbled. "Are you sure?"

"Very much so. The recordings you sent me today indicate that he can't remember his entire past. He doesn't seem to know that he's actually a genetically altered clone with Special Ops training. Mr Grey struck me as someone who always approached everything with foresight. This man here? He moves freely on the streets, pays no attention to his surroundings and works in an institution where there are children. A man as dangerous as he is wouldn't work in a kindergarten."

"You said he could just use that as an alibi. What about that?"

"I didn't think he actually worked there. Just his name on the staff list. But he seems to really interact with kids there. Besides, he didn't strike me as the best actor in the world. Just like you. You can't play a laugh like that."

She was probably looking at the photos of Grey that 47 had sent her. "I'm going to confront him."

"I know," she sighed, "Be careful when you do. Best do it in a crowd. Somewhere with lots of people. If Mr Grey was working undercover, he would never open fire."

"And what if he does?"

"Then we can be sure he's lost his mind."

47 snorted out softly. "I'll find a place. But without children."

"If it doesn't have to be tomorrow: Mr Grey seems to have a fondness for taking Ms Rhodes to the club where we killed Mr Marsh. The owners have only closed the place for two nights to let the police investigate. They will reopen the club tomorrow. Mr Grey and Ms Rhodes go there every Saturday night. Seems to be kind of a regular hangout. You could meet him there. There's bound to be an opportunity."

47 immediately remembered the employee disguise lying untidily on a chair next to his bed. "That's a good idea."

"Then we'll wait until Saturday. You confront Mr Grey and should he not remember you, I would suggest you leave him alone."

47 wasn't sure he should disagree. Grey hadn't turned on his heel either when 47 hadn't immediately recognised him. But 47 didn't want to start a discussion with Diana, so he put her off until Saturday to come to a decision.

For the next few days, 47 watched Grey as best he could. From the roof terrace he could observe his daily rituals. How he watched TV, heated up ready-made meals in the microwave every day and fell asleep on the sofa in the evening. Once he went shopping in the nearby supermarket, where 47 followed him as a normal customer. He only bought ready-made meals, which made 47's fingers itch. Surely the man couldn't live on fast food alone? For the first time he could see Grey up close. While he was standing in front of the sweets shelf, looking at the different kinds of biscuits, 47 stood at the shelf opposite and tried to disappear behind an old lady. She took just as long to make up her mind, so 47 had enough time to let his gaze pass over Grey's face.

In fact, his left eye seemed to be a prosthetic. It did not move in all directions and seemed rather stiff. But from a distance and to an untrained eye, it was an enormously good illusion. Otherwise, he looked the same as always. The small wrinkles around his eyes and the sunken cheeks were still there. The thick dark grey hair of almost the same length as usual. He would probably have it cut soon; it reached almost to his shoulders. The obligatory black T-shirt and long black coat made him look almost menacing. His gaze went tensely to the biscuit shelf, where he tried to decide between the biscuits with the chocolate filling or the chocolate coating. Taken out of context, his gaze could have passed through a sniper rifle.

Finally, he decided on the chocolate-filled biscuits and went to the checkout. 47 followed him a little further until he reached his apartment complex. He had not even turned around. Not even looked around. Even when there was no one else on the street but 47, he didn't seem to have noticed him.

The hope that subject 6 was back on the surface of the earth unchanged evaporated. But a version of him was there. And 47 only realised how relieved he was when he saw Grey eating the entire packet of biscuits in front of the television.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way: I' ve already written over 12 chapters with 43k words - i just need to translate it 😬 That's why it might take a bit longer...


	3. 3

Saturday came sooner than expected. 47 found a certain inner peace in watching Grey go about his daily routine. The instant meals stung in his chest, but how Grey dealt with the children was very remarkable. Despite his sometimes scowling countenance, the children loved him dearly. And he seemed to love them just as much.

The realisation that Grey was better off than before hit 47 as he threw on his clothes for the club. He would confront him as an employee, speak to him briefly and then leave. Diana was probably right: he wouldn't recognise 47. But it would give the agent closure. Grey would live a nice life, in complete freedom. The life of an ordinary man in an English suburb.

The queue outside the club was relatively short, but when he entered the inside, there were already many people on the dance floor, dancing to loud metal and industrial music. According to Diana, Grey should already be there celebrating with Ms Rhodes. As 47 walked across the dance floor, letting his gaze wander, another waitress suddenly approached him.

"Hey, you! Don't you have the bar today? It's unstaffed, go there!" she shouted at him. 47 tried to ignore her, but when another man in a club t-shirt also came and pushed him towards the bar, he went behind the counter, annoyed. He would serve a few drinks and then go and find Grey.

But it wasn't long before he appeared with Ms Rhodes. Both had empty glasses in their hands, Grey took the glass from Ms Rhodes, said something else to her, which 47 didn't understand because of the loud music, and came straight towards him.

If 47 could get nervous, this would be the moment. But he held on to his wet rag and pretended to clean the counter.

"Hey," Grey greeted him with a gentle smile. "Can we have two more whiskey cokes?"

47 immediately looked up and gazed into the bright green eyes that were looking at him expectantly. He didn't recognise him. Grey had forgotten him.

"Of course," 47 said in his typical manner and took the two glasses from Grey. He immediately grabbed two new ones and mixed a good amount of whiskey with some cola. He then placed both glasses on the counter, each with a straw, and pushed them towards Grey. He immediately pulled out a banknote and slapped it on the counter.

"Thank you, rest is for you," he grinned and carefully took the two glasses that 47 had made very full. In rhythm with the music, he moved back to Ms Rhodes, who was already greeting him with an outstretched arm.

47 watched the two of them for a while longer until he took the banknote and put it behind the counter. Someone else got to enjoy it. Disappointed, he wiped the counter one last time and finally put the rag aside.

Should he really just leave? Maybe Grey would recognise him of he confronted him? Diana said he shouldn't. And Grey just seemed to have forgotten everything. Should 47 really ruin his new life by obsessively reminding him who he really was and why he had shot himself in the head?

"Aren't you the father who was with us at the kindergarten the other day?" he suddenly heard Ms Rhodes' voice ring out. When 47 turned back to the counter and saw the blonde woman standing there, he felt his heartbeat quicken. Normally people didn't remember him so clearly.

"It's you, isn't it?" she asked again and put her already half-empty glass on the counter. "You haven't contacted me at all! Have you found a daycare for Olivia?"

"Zahra, stop always recruiting people," Grey laughed in his dark voice and leaned towards Ms Rhodes at the counter. As he did so, he also glanced briefly at 47. "We're here in private, leave the nursery behind for once."

"Shut up," Ms Rhodes laughed, clapping him affectionately on the chest, "I just wanted to check again!"

With that, she now looked hopefully at 47, who by now wasn't so sure he hadn't dug himself his own grave. "Olivia has found a daycare," he said quietly. At least as quietly as he could with the loud music.

"I'm glad to hear that. What a shame it didn't turn out to be ours after all. By the way, this is Mr Grey!" she exclaimed, beaming with joy, pushing Grey a little further towards the counter. "He's one of the two male educators!"

Grey seemed confused, but smiled. "Why do you say it like that?"

"Because Olivia prefers males, I guess! That's when he had asked if we had male educators too. Actually, he wanted to meet you, but you've been on sick leave." Ms Rhodes was obviously already a little drunk.

Grey nodded cautiously. "Oh, hmm. Yeah, I wasn't feeling so well then..."

"You were hammered the day before, haha! No wonder you had a hangover!"

47 just stood quietly behind the bar watching the spectacle. Grey and Ms Rhodes must have been very good friends. She touched his arm or stroked his chest several times. He kept smiling at her. Although 47 never liked physical contact, he looked critically at all the touching Grey was getting from Rhodes.

"I'm so sorry, she's not usually like this," Grey apologised to 47, leaning over the counter a little.

"It's perfectly fine. She’s here privately and Olivia has found a daycare. So you don't have to be on your best behaviour anymore," 47 tried to joke, but Ms Rhodes' laughter died out immediately.

"Oh God, I hope you don't think badly of our facility now! We love each of our children, but we also love to party. Just like normal people, right Lucas?"

Grey nodded cautiously. His smile still lingered on his lips. "You like to party; I'll just go with you."

"Now don't pretend you're averse to this," she murmured, raising Grey's glass of strong cola-whiskey mix.

"This is different." With one draught, he emptied his glass. 47 couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Will you make me another?" Grey asked, even winking at him.

47 didn't know how to deal with that, so he silently reached for the empty glass and prepared a new mixture. Again Grey tipped him neatly and rolled his eyes as Ms Rhodes also finished her glass and ordered another.

"Do you always work here now? Because we're here a lot and I've never seen you before! But you also said you just moved here?" Ms Rhodes shouted loudly in 47's ear.

The latter just nodded. "I'm just working as a temp."

"You definitely picked a great place! Always good music and cool people!"

Grey seemed to follow the conversation quite curiously, sometimes watching 47 for longer than necessary. Maybe he did remember after all?

Suddenly, a group of friends seemed to have arrived at the club, as Ms Rhodes shrieked loudly and immediately walked towards the women. Grey literally flinched, raised both eyebrows and watched as his friend warmly embraced all the acquaintances.

"I'll go and say hello to the rest then. Sorry again for chatting you up," he apologised more politely than 47 was used to.

"You're always welcome. That's what we bartenders are for."

Grey laughed heartily and nodded. Finally he moved away from the bar and greeted the rest of the group with many hugs. 47 thought about leaving again, but when suddenly a whole row of people was standing in front of the bar to order drinks, he decided to stay after all. That way he could keep watching Grey.

One last time.

The time passed quite quickly. Or Grey got tired of the crowd of women very quickly. He approached the bar with another empty glass.

"I have to bother you again," he said playfully and placed his empty glass on the bar.

"You're not bothering," 47 replied and began his routine.

"Take your time," Grey hissed, leaning over the bar a little so 47 could hear him. "The ladies are very demanding. I'm glad to get a break for a minute."

So 47 took his time making the drink. He very slowly unscrewed the bottles and poured one liquid after the other into the glass. "You can go when you like, surely?"

"In theory, yes. But actually, I'm Zahra's attendant, you know. She tends to flirt with strange guys who then follow her home and things like that. I prefer to keep my eye on her."

"Very noble."

Grey watched 47 closely as he prepared the drink. Finally, he laughed. "Thank you for taking your time."

"I might as well knock the drink over by accident. Then I'll have to make another one."

Grey laughed louder. It still sounded unfamiliar, but good. "Better not, it would be a shame about the alcohol! But maybe I'll just order some more... How about a shot?"

"Sounds good to me. Which one would you like?"

"Will you have one with me?"

47 put the finished cola-whiskey glass on the counter. "I don't drink at work."

"Not at all? Well, you're one of the few around here who doesn't drink on the job. They usually drink here as much as the customers. Especially towards the end."

"I haven't been here that long." With that, they both then looked in the direction of their colleagues who were standing at the same bar but further away. Unlike 47, they were serving customers. The previous club customers queuing at 47 quickly realised that he was in an intense conversation with another customer.

"Oh come on, one shot. Decide which alcohol. I'll have the same." With that, Grey again put a note on the bar for him. 47 didn't even look at it, just pushed it aside.

Normally 47 didn't drink at all. But when Grey asked him like this - and it would probably be the last time - he wanted to make an exception. "We'll have rum."

"Very good choice," Grey laughed, propping himself up on the bar. He was already sipping his new long drink, watching 47 expertly fill two shot glasses with dark rum. He slid a glass to Grey, which he took immediately.

They toasted. As they did so, Grey smiled at him, befuddled, if affectionate. "Here's to a good evening."

47 said nothing, but simply tipped the rum down his throat. Grey eventually did the same. The alcohol burned and flowed slowly down his throat. When Grey coughed slightly and laughed, even 47 had to smile.

So this was what it felt like to have a normal life with 6. In a normal club with normal people, normal alcohol and normal conversations. Whenever he had been out with 6, it had mainly been about their past, Providence or more targets to be killed. Never was it about anything else. This was a surprisingly pleasant change.

"The rum was delicious. A good choice."

"Thanks."

"I'm Lucas Grey, by the way," his old friend said, holding out his right hand. "Even though Zahra has basically already introduced me, I don't want to be so rude as to not give my name."

47 hesitated for a split second. Should he be so honest and say his number? Or go with his alias Tobias Rieper?

"47," he took the chance and shook Grey's hand. He looked at him in astonishment.

"47?" he repeated, slightly confused, and finally smiled. "Is that a nickname?"

"Sort of."

"Interesting, 47," Grey smiled, looking deeply into his former friend's eyes. It was nice to hear Grey pronounce his number. It sounded so... familiar.

"Are you flirting with the bartender?!" Ms Rhodes exclaimed, who suddenly appeared behind Grey. "You'll do anything for alcohol!"

Grey, who had almost always had a smile on his lips since 47 had been watching him, suddenly hissed very seriously in Rhodes' direction. "Shut up! Don't say things like that!"

"He pays me very generously for the drinks," 47 intervened, taking Ms Rhodes' empty glass, which she had placed drunkenly on the bar.

"Well, well," she laughed, leaning against Grey's shoulder. "You have to know, he's a total teddy bear despite his looks. And he's got a really sick backstory. Did you know he speaks Russian? And Spanish! And Arabic!"

"Zahra, stop..."

"He's amazing! Unfortunately, way too old for me, hihi," she giggled and finally gave him a kiss on the cheek. "He's more like my daddy. But not like you might think now. Like a real daddy, not like some kinky daddy."

"Zahra, I think you should go back to the others," Grey grumbled, almost snatching the full glass of alcohol from 47's hand. He took a generous swig and gave the rest to Zahra. "Go, I'm paying!"

She cried out indignantly, but then laughed and danced to the beat as she walked back to her friends.

Grey snivellingly pulled out another note and shook his head. "Sorry..."

"Very cheerful."

"Oh yes," Grey sighed, placing the note on the counter. "But I owe everything I have to her. So I'm happy to turn a blind eye."

"Really?", 47 tried to sound interested as he put the note aside. "What did she do then?"

"She gave me the job at the kindergarten. And her father... well, he saved my life, I guess."

47 was surprised that Lucas was actually so open about what had happened to a supposed stranger.

"I had an accident a year and a half ago. Her father found me then and took me to the hospital." Grey seemed visibly upset by this. "Everything's been different since then, I guess."

"What exactly happened?" 47 asked, watching as the rest of the customers all went to other bartenders.

Grey smiled sweetly at him. "I'll tell you if you have another shot with me."

Without waiting for a reply, Grey put money on the bar again. However, he waited until he slid the note over. 47 took the opportunity and put his hand on the note as well, carefully sliding it back to Grey. Their fingertips touched as they did so.

"No drink with me?" Grey asked, already disappointed, and withdrew the note.

But 47 immediately placed two shot glasses on the counter and looked Grey deep in the eyes. "Rum or something different?"

That made his friend grin broadly, so that the laugh lines around his eyes deepened even more. "Rum is wonderful."

47 skilfully poured two glasses of alcohol again. They clinked glasses and downed the burning liquid. As yet, 47 felt nothing from the alcohol. But he would have to be careful not to get drunk all at once. He hardly ever drank and shots had a habit of taking effect suddenly and strongly.

Grey seemed to be way over his limit already. He wasn't slurring yet, but he was staggering very noticeably against the bar. "So... you ready for a tragic story?"

47 nodded. He looked tensely into the bright green eyes of Grey, who was trying to collect himself.

"See this scar here?" he finally asked, raising his head. There was a large white scar under his chin. The beard growth was interrupted there. "That's where I shot myself in the head."

A cold shiver went down 47's spine. Normally something like that left him cold, but having been there was something else again. Grey triggered something in him that only Diana had managed before. _Feelings_.

"In the forest. Not far from here. I was probably alone and wanted to take my own life. I don't know why. I can't really remember anything since the incident...", Grey told, looking strained into his glass. "I've been to the forest several times and looked at the place again. But I just don't remember anything."

"It's a miracle you're alive at all..." 47 said, sounding surprisingly more empathetic than usual.

"Yes, the doctors spoke of a miracle too. I even had another wound here on my stomach. Also a gunshot wound. The police took the case. But since I don't remember anything, nobody knows to this day if someone shot me or if I shot myself." At this Grey laughed again as usual. In general, he seemed to have become a very cheerful person.

"That sounds awful."

"Yeah... but I survived. Oh, and I lost my eye too. It's just a prosthetic now," Grey told proudly, clicking his fingernail on the acrylic eye. "But I'm doing quite well with only one eye. In the beginning I ran into everything. Now I just have trouble judging distances sometimes."

"And what _do_ you remember?" 47 asked, probably too obviously. But Grey didn't seem to notice anything.

"Almost nothing... language and everything was fine. Even what a TV is or how to operate a car. Everything beyond that gets very dark. I didn't even remember what my name was. According to my passport, I'm Lucas Grey and I'm from Argentina. I was born in January 1963. But somehow it feels like someone else's story. I don't remember Argentina. Or my parents. Or anyone. It's like... I didn't have anyone in my old life. No one ever came looking for me, anyway."

Grey's voice suddenly quietened. His gaze went blearily into space and lingered there for a few moments. 47 felt the dull feeling in his chest grow stronger. Finally Grey looked up again and hunched his shoulders. The smile came back. "Anyway, I like the life I have now very much. For whatever reason I wanted to take my life… I want to keep it now."

47 pushed his eyebrows together. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Oh man," Grey chuckled uncertainly, scratching his beard. "Now I've told you half my life story. Suicide attempts are probably not the best conversation starters."

"It was very interesting to hear."

"Please tell me if you want me to go. You actually have a job to do. I'm just holding you up."

The other bartenders served the guests without ever even glancing at him. Presumably they were stressed out. "That's all right. I'll help you get away from the group of women and you help me finish my shift faster."

Grey's white teeth literally glowed under the fluorescent light. "Deal." He drank from his coke-whiskey and eyed 47 for a while. "You're not the most talkative, but your presence is very calming. But I'm sure a lot of people have told you that."

"No. To be honest, you're the first to find my presence... _calming_." 47's mouth twinkled up a little at the remark.

"Oh, really?" Grey actually seemed surprised. His eyes widened a bit and disbelief was written all over his face. "I used to know someone who was a lot like you. His presence always put me at ease. Unfortunately, I can only vaguely remember the person. Shame, actually. I think I would like to see him again."

"Perhaps the opportunity will arise sometime."

"Probably not, huh?" Grey grinned. "Let's talk about something nicer. Are you following the new episodes of Vikings?"

"No." 47 didn't even know what that was.

"Oh, I can only recommend it. If you're into a bit of action and battles and stuff. It's quite macabre. So if you have a rather weak stomach, it might not be for you. Zahra doesn't like the show, for example."

"My stomach can take a lot."

"Then you have to watch it, really," Grey began to tell. What the series was about, who the protagonist was and what complications arose. Eventually he began to cram in his own analysis and lapsed into a flow of narration, with 47 just listening and refilling Grey's glass every now and then.

After nearly two hours of them talking about everything and nothing, Ms Rhodes joined the two men at the bar, very tired, and begged to leave. "Lucas, I'm tired..."

"But I'm still talking to 47 right now," Grey complained, pointing at the bald man.

„47? What kind of name is that?" Ms Rhodes echoed, wrinkling her nose as if she couldn't relate to the joke. "Come now..."

With that she trotted off to the cloakroom and disappeared from sight. Grey sighed loudly and bit his lower lip. "Too bad."

"It's probably better to go." 47 had to admit that he had enjoyed his time with Grey. Now it was time to say goodbye. But something kept him from doing it.

"At the risk of sounding like a clingy stalker now," Grey began, already laughing at his own joke, which probably wasn't one, "when are your shifts here? Then I'll tell Zahra that we'll go on another day sometime."

47 had to think about it for a while. It was dangerous to come to the same place more than twice. Especially when it was still unclear whether Grey or someone else was working undercover in his immediate vicinity. But before he could answer, Lucas waved him off.

"You know what? I'll see you when I see you, okay?" With that, he smiled as best he could with the alcohol inside him and winked at 47 once more. This new habit made the agent wonder. Or maybe Grey was simply moistening his prosthetic eye.

"Okay," was all 47 said as Grey disappeared with his drunken friend.

"Are you finally done with your boyfriend?" one of the other bartenders suddenly snarled at him, pushing an empty case towards him. "Go get some ice."

Even though 47 had no interest in doing the job any further than necessary, he dutifully fetched a box full of ice in the warehouse and took it to his "colleague". After that, however, he disappeared and went back to his hotel.

On the camera footage he could see that Grey had taken Ms Rhodes home. Staggering, he shuffled back to his flat and then seemed to have gone straight to bed. 47 did the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for your kudos & comments! ♥ This fandom seems sooo small, so I'm happy to see a few people around who also like to see them together 😊


	4. 4

"I'm not sure how I feel about you two getting so close after I actually told you to keep your distance," Diana sighed into her cup. She had caught the next flight to England to see 47. She wanted to combine it with a graveside visit to her family, but 47 knew she was worried. "So he didn't recognise you?"

47 sat on the edge of the bed while Diana sat in the wing chair drinking her tea. "No."

"Have you been able to find out what he remembers?"

"He thinks he tried to take his own life in the wood due to depression. He didn't mention any CICADA. Providence didn't fall either."

"If he didn't recognise you, it's possible he didn't quite trust you yet to mention such names."

But 47 shook his head. "He told me quite a lot and proudly showed me his prosthetic eye. Besides that, he asked if we could meet again. I don't think he knowingly withheld anything from me."

Diana's eyebrows lifted. "He wants to see you again?"

"He asked when I had my shifts at the club."

She heaved a loud sigh and set her cup aside. "47, I don't have to tell you how dangerous that is. Not only could Mr Grey still be working undercover, but you're one of our top agents and you're so freely staying in the same place for some time now. If Mr Grey is indeed currently just a kindergarten gardener and remembers nothing, you are a source of danger to him. His face hasn't changed much. In just a few scans, we found him on all the camera footage. If someone is looking for you, they will inevitably find Mr Grey. You remember your training, and you're ready to go. Mr Grey, at worst, has no memory of his training and no weapons. Especially as he would endanger not only himself but the other educators and the children."

"Maybe that's why it's time to reactivate his memories."

"I'm afraid that won't be as easy as it was with you then," Diana said in a calm voice, crossing her legs. "Mr Grey wasn't given a serum or anything like that. An entire area of the brain was damaged. The synapses and neural connections will surely come back in time. The brain is plastic enough for that and because of your genetic modification you seem to have a much faster recovery than normal people. But what you have in mind, 47, will take several weeks, if not months. We don't have that time at the moment."

47 suddenly felt like a child speaking out against his mother. "We've been sitting in Providence for almost two years, trying to destroy the organisation in the gentlest way possible. Many important contacts are already dead. What's a few more weeks? Besides, we could use someone like Grey."

Diana pressed her red-painted lips together. "I can tell you want Mr Grey back. And I can only repeat what I have already said. If you think you can get through to him, so be it. However, on the condition that I may use you for quick assignments in between."

"All right."

"Very well," Diana murmured and stood up. She smoothed her skirt and checked her watch again. "We'll be in touch. If you witness any suspicious activity involving Mr Grey, you'll let me know."

"I will," 47 confirmed and helped Diana into her coat. Just outside the door, she turned again and placed her hand on 47's chest.

"I'm as glad as you are that Mr Grey is still alive. I don't want my caution to seem like I don't want to win him back too. We're just still at a critical juncture. Without ICA in the midst of an organisation that is actually hostile to us, every move has to be thought through. And Mr Grey, with his memories, was an unpredictable man. So I want to make sure he hasn't gotten worse without his memories."

"I'll keep an eye on him."

"Good." She slid her hand onto his upper arm and gave it a quick squeeze. "Take care of yourself. And good luck."

"Thank you," 47 said quietly. Still, he couldn't help tensing at the touch. Finally, Diana disappeared from the hotel, shoes clacking.

Now that 47 was officially allowed to start Operation Reclamation of Subject 6, he looked for his own flat so he wouldn't have to continue staying in a hotel. Unfortunately, there was still nothing available in Grey's block, so he had to look a few streets away. A luxury penthouse flat was available for rent after renovation. The view was quite nice by English standards. The flat was far too expensive and actually too far away from his destination, but 47 had no other choice for the time being. So he rented the flat within a week.

During that week, it became a habit for him to climb back up to the roof terrace of the shopping mall and watch Grey from there. How he heated up his instant meals and ate them in front of the television. Once Ms Rhodes came to visit and they talked over two bottles of wine for almost four hours in the living room. On the evenings when Grey was not addicted to alcohol, he worked out diligently. He did push-ups, sit-ups and lifted weights, which he apparently had lying in a corner next to the television. On Friday evening, the sun was even shining, so he went jogging. 47 jogged behind him with enough distance and was impressed how good his stamina still was. 47 wondered if Grey experienced moments when he became wonderstruck at his own abilities. After all, not a lot of men in their mid-50s still ran so agilely for almost 2 hours straight through a park.

During the day, Grey was the perfect educator and played with many children in the day care centre. 47 unfortunately couldn't stand outside the day care like a maniac every day, so he relied on the cameras. It was a waiting game and 47 didn't know how best to reach Grey. So he waited until Saturday evening to change back into the club's staff clothes. It was raining again and 47 wasn't sure if Grey and his friend went to the club on Saturdays even in bad weather. But a quick glance at the cameras showed him that the two were already on their way there. This time again accompanied by several women and even two men. 47 ran a quick identity check on their faces. None of them were registered in the Providence database. They had all been ordinary people from the suburbs.

"You're late," the bartender from last week sighed. She recognised 47 immediately. "We're having the Long Island Ice Tea Special for £5 today. Tell the customers, will you?" Then she thought of three more tasks for 47 to do before going to the bar. This time the bar was in the main room. It was louder and more crowded. If Grey found him, they wouldn't be able to have such a good conversation. 47 would need a new plan soon.

He did all the tasks like a good employee and finally stood behind the bar. With his hands behind his back, he waited for customers. The club filled up more and more, but there was no sign of Grey. After an hour, 47 was about to give up hope when the dark grey mop of hair walked through the crowd with a searching look. The music was enormously loud and the flashing lights barely allowed visibility. But Grey was conspicuous enough, even if his all-black clothes blended in well with the rest of the clientele.

It didn't take long before Grey recognised 47. He immediately smiled broadly and raised his hand. 47 did not move, but watched the approaching man intently.

"What a coincidence to see you here," Grey began, squeezing up to the counter, which was already filled with many people who weren't ordering anything but were standing there comfortably.

"I hardly think you can call it a coincidence," 47 replied loud enough for Grey to understand him. It probably came out harsher than intended, but Grey laughed anyway.

"You're probably right about that. I admit I was looking for you." The confession didn't come as much of a surprise, which was why 47 didn't want to dwell on it. After all, he had been looking for him too. And found him.

"Coke whiskey or something else?" he asked instead.

Grey leaned casually on the counter and seemed to be thinking amusedly. "Don't you guys have the Long Island Special today?"

Without asking further, 47 expertly prepared a Long Island Ice Tea for Grey. They would have to meet somewhere else soon. Grey's drinking habit was worrying 47. And he was contributing fairly at the moment.

"Thanks, mate," Grey said, beaming, and slid 47 a note. This time 47 decided to take it and put it away. He would collect the money to give it back to Grey at some point. "How was the week?"

47 didn't quite know how to answer at first. After all, his week consisted of watching, waiting and more watching. "All right. How about you?"

Grey immediately murmured. "Oh, so much bureaucracy stuff! Did you catch the latest news? A guy died here, didn't he?"

"I heard, yeah," 47 said with interest, pretending not to know anything specific.

"Some stockbroker. Real businessman. Everybody here knew him and frankly nobody liked him. But the bad thing is that the guy was involved with us and now we're under a lot of cross-examination with the police... All week they've been calling us wanting to know more things. The fact that I was so full that day didn't help the officers at all, of course. And neither did it help me, to be honest."

That made 47 stop immediately. "Why would the police interrogate a kindergarten?"

"The guy owns several office buildings here and in the city of Plymouth. Investor, you know. He wanted our property where the nursery is. Sure, the playground and the facility itself take up quite a bit of space you could build on nicely. And, well, he had the town so wrapped around his finger that everyone was fine with the bribe. Corruption is big here, apparently...", Grey told bitterly, suddenly slipping into his old role: Subject 6, how he hated executive and corrupt decision-makers from the bottom of his soul.

"The police now believe you were involved in the murder to save the kindergarten?"

Grey immediately nodded, completely beside himself. "Right! Can you imagine that? They pretend a group of kindergarten teachers would plot together to kill a businessman in our local pub with poison! Excuse me, such a thing is completely absurd."

47 felt his muscles tense. If the police dug deeper and went after the name Lucas Grey, it would be a quick and easy thing: of course the former CICADA and assassin would be the culprit. Except, of course, Grey didn't know about any of this yet. And 47 had to make sure he wouldn't find out that way. He had done enough research on Google on how to help amnesia patients to recover: Slowly. Steadily. With patience.

"What's the progress so far?" 47 asked, already preparing a new long drink as Grey had almost emptied his glass. Full of excitement, he seemed to drink faster. No sign of Ms Rhodes so far.

"The investigation is continuing. At the moment there are many suspects, but no real prime suspect. My guess is the police will continue to ask around here at the club. They also seem to have found an employee unconscious in the corner of the storage room that night. He was half naked. Probably someone stole his club shirt to get at the champagne table in disguise."

"That sounds very logical," 47 concluded and pushed the new glass of alcohol towards Grey. He didn't notice at first, but continued to get excited.

"Yes, I think so too. But what does the police think? That one of us knocked him out so he couldn't serve as a witness. Why would we do that? There were very many other employees in the main room who would have seen and," finally he pushed the empty glass to 47 and took the full one. “Anyway, I have to be careful about bringing my own analysis into the investigation. They already have me on the kicker more than my female colleagues. Not only because I'm a man, but also because I'm so 'hot-tempered'." With that, he formed sarcastic quotation marks in the air and rolled his eyes. His prosthesis didn't quite move with him, so for a brief moment it looked like he had exotropia. "But I'm glad you see it the same way I do."

47 was still thinking about how he could improve the situation. After all, he was the one who had killed Mr Marsh. In a not so very professional way on top of that. But to his defence: only because Grey had suddenly walked in front of his nose.

Maybe Diana was right. Grey was a troublemaker. A very big one, in fact. But 47 didn't even think of giving up Grey just like that.

"Maybe a hitman was hired?"

Grey's eyes suddenly widened. "You think someone wanted this guy professionally whacked?"

"Why not? He was an influential man. They often don't just have friends." Grey's naivety amused 47 as much as it made him nervous.

"Could well be. But unless the police figure it out themselves, they'll stick with the theory that the kindergarten did it. I can well imagine that when they hear the word _hitman,_ they immediately think that one of us hired him."

"An educator's salary is so good that he can afford a killer?" asked 47 pointedly, knowing that none of Grey's colleagues could afford his services.

This made Grey grin broadly. "No. Probably not. How much does a job like that cost? What do you think?"

"Several thousands."

Grey looked deep into 47's blue eyes. "Five figures?"

"Depends on the target and the circumstances," 47 explained calmly, sorting limes and lemons. When Grey made no reply and just continued to look at him with interest, 47 quickly added, "At least that's my guess."

Grey's presence was pleasant. So pleasant that 47 forgot for a moment that it was not Subject 6 standing in front of him, but Lucas Grey, the kindergarten teacher.

"Let's say... one had a target, purely theoretically. Who would you have to contact, anyway? It's not like you just open the yellow pages and look under H for hitman for a phone number."

47 smirked. "Who do you want to remove?"

"Are you taking orders?" Grey grinned. He propped his forearm on the counter and leaned slightly towards 47. The gesture, however, made 47 wary. He suddenly wasn't sure if their conversation still passed for a joke.

"I'm just curious who you wish dead."

At that, Grey leaned back again and shook his head. "No one in particular. It would actually be more of a research job than a contract killing. Probably the person doesn't even exist."

Before 47 could ask who Grey could possibly remember, Ms Rhodes arrived. As always, at a very inopportune moment.

"I see you're flirting with the bartender again. Hello, Mr," she began, but stopped when she realised, she didn't know 47's name. "I've completely forgotten your name. Only your daughter's name I can remember. Olivia it was, right?"

47 nodded cautiously. "Yes."

Then, when nothing else came, Grey cleared his throat and turned to Rhodes. "Do you want another drink?"

"Yeah, I'd love one." With that, she slid her empty glass onto the counter. "Long Island, please. Aren't you going to give me your name?"

"He didn't tell me either," Grey interjected, smirking in 47's direction. "Might be a secret."

"Oh man, you watch too much TV, Lucas," Rhodes murmured, squeezing in at the counter. "Zahra Rhodes. And if you're working here now, I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other. So?"

Rhodes was direct. Probably a spoilt only child who was pampered by her parents and got everything she wanted. Or the other way around: she was never paid attention to and feels like she has to fight all over the place because of it. Whatever it was, 47 couldn't care less, so he concentrated on mixing a long drink.

"Tobias Rieper," he finally said. Grey couldn't remember his number, so there was no point in continuing to insist. He had drawn his ace and the play had not improved. A "real" name seemed a better alternative at the moment.

"Hi Tobias," Rhodes laughed, drumming her nails on the bar. "I see you two have already become close. I don't want to intrude any further either."

47 put the finished long drink down for her, which Grey paid for immediately. Rhodes thanked him with a kiss on the cheek and disappeared into the crowd again.

"Here, I haven't paid for mine yet either," Grey said and slid 47 another note.

Actually, 47 would have liked to push the notes back, but he dutifully accepted them and put them in his pocket. If it continued like this, they could soon be going out for fancy dinners every week.

"Why are you paying for her drinks?" 47 asked, even though he didn't really care. "Obviously you're not a couple."

"Oh, God forbid, no," Grey laughed, visibly strained. "She's more like... my little niece that I look after. Or as she always puts it, her 'surrogate father'."

"Where's her real father?" The hunter who had found Grey.

"Travels a lot. Sometimes here, sometimes there. Hunts a lot of different animals, I guess. He was in Africa for three weeks just the other day."

47 didn't know what to say to that, so he kept quiet. He also hunted. But not animals. He wondered how the hitherto always cheerful Lucas Grey would see it.

"I'm against killing animals, but Zahra doesn't seem to mind. That's why I stay out of it."

Then 47 smirked. "You asked me earlier if I would kill someone for you."

Grey grinned broadly. "I'm aware that I'm quite inconsistent about that. But I somehow care more about animals than some people. Just don't tell Zahra that, she'll kick me out of the nursery."

"Don't worry. I won't tell her."

They talked again for several minutes about many little things. 47 had probably said more than last year. Usually, only Diana talked and he listened. Even though Grey tended to talk as much, he often asked what 47 thought or what his opinion was on the topic. It reminded him of back then when Grey would often talk about his plans and in between he would want to hear how 47 would do it. Grey was also the first to regularly ask him how he was doing. Although 47 never really gave an answer, Grey knew what was going on. They understood each other without words. Probably it was because they had the same upbringing, because they were genetic mutants, or because they were so alike and yet so different.

The evening went by faster than expected. 47 had to get new ice cubes and serve other customers in between - a fact that was less to his liking. But Grey was with him the whole time and waited until he was available again. He was so cheerful and good-humoured that 47 began to doubt whether he was doing the right thing by pulling him back into his world. The memories of the past would also bring a lot of suffering. Lots of bad memories of the asylum, Ortmeyer, Providence, the Constant. Unlike 47, Grey would probably sink into a morass of emotions.

Rhodes arrived at the emptying bar around 2am. Grey was still fit and talking animatedly with 47 about various martial arts.

"Let's go, Lucas, I'm tired," she said, yawning demonstratively against Grey's shoulder. He gave her an affectionate hug and just continued talking to 47 to finish his thought. Rhodes groaned and pulled on Grey's arm like a little girl. "Let's go! Talk some other time."

"Yeah... okay," Grey grumbled, seeming visibly disappointed. "I'll see you next week Saturday then?"

47 blinked a few times until he nodded. Grey seemed very interested in making the agent a friend. Still, he wasn't sure if there was more to it and if Grey was only feigning interest because he wanted to trap 47.

The man smiled disappointedly and could hardly move from the bar. Rhodes gave an annoyed murmur. "Do you happen to have a mobile phone, Tobias?" she asked in a harsh tone, looking piercingly at 47.

"Yes."

She raised both hands in the air and looked at Grey with wide, if annoyed eyes. "He has a mobile phone, Lucas. I think you have one too. Do you want me to type in the number for you?"

"Okay, Zahra, thanks, we would have thought of that," Grey growled, avoiding eye contact with 47. He whispers in her ear, but 47 could still hear every word. "Men can't just ask other men for mobile numbers like that, yeah? It comes out wrong."

"Comes across exactly the way it's meant to, doesn't it?" Zahra growled back, looking at 47. She probably just wanted to go home and that's why she was so annoyed by Grey's unnecessary politeness. "Can he have your mobile number?"

Grey's eyes immediately widened. "Zahra!"

"Yes," 47 replied in his typical manner. It would probably make things easier if they could meet somewhere else. More undisturbed. Without Rhodes.

"Look, it's that simple," she sighed, twirling her hand between 47 and Grey. "Then exchange numbers and let's go, Lucas. I really want to go to bed." With that, she left.

"If I wasn't so dutiful to walk her home, I'd just send her off on her own," Grey murmured, coming closer to the bar once more.

"It's probably safer if you take her home."

"Yeah..."

The music continued to sound very loud, making the silence that occurred seem even more uncomfortable. Grey seemed to wrestle with himself whether he really wanted to give away his number. Or was he waiting for 47 to give his number?

Since 47 had yet to get a prepaid mobile phone for the occasion, he pulled out a pen from the counter and a napkin. "Write your number down for me and I'll get back to you."

Grey's eyes immediately darted upward. He pressed his lips together and nodded silently. In a very messy handwriting, he scribbled a few numbers on the cloth. 47 already knew his mobile number through Diana, but the ritual of exchanging numbers was probably necessary among acquaintances to gain further trust.

Grey finally pushed the napkin towards 47, taking some liquid form the counter with it. The ink blurred a little, but before Grey could correct the numbers, 47 took the napkin. "Thank you."

"Yeah," he began, hunching his shoulders as if he still didn't know how to handle the situation. "Get in touch when you feel like it. I'd be happy to."

"Of course."

"Well, I hope you don't take this the wrong way! I...", Grey began to stammer again uncharacteristically. "Our conversations are really nice. Though we don't really talk about anything important. Somehow... you seem so familiar to me. Yet we hardly know each other."

47's eyes opened a little.

"It feels good to be with you." The moment Grey had said the words, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips together. "Okay, that came out wrong now. Sorry, I really mean it in a different way."

"I see what you mean."

"Yeah? Good, because this isn't supposed to be a bad pick-up line." He laughed nervously then. "If you ever feel like having a beer or two, we can take them somewhere else. Like when you don't have to work and I'm keeping you from it."

"Sounds good."

"Good... Then, have a good night, Tobias."

"Good night," 47 replied, watching Grey finally leave his field of vision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise they will meet outside the club soon 😬


	5. 5

47 unpacked his prepaid mobile phone and loaded it with the SIM card. Meanwhile, he had more camera recordings sent to Diana. She called shortly afterwards.

"He doesn't remember, but he seems to recognise me subconsciously," 47 told her as he set up the new phone. As he did so, he sat on the white designer sofa he had bought for the penthouse flat. The estate agent had offered to furnish the flat for him. 47 immediately accepted the offer.

"That's a good sign, I think," Diana replied on the other line. Her obligatory sigh followed, however. "What are the next steps?"

An unfamiliar question from her mouth. 47 had to think for a moment and stared out of the huge windows ahead of him. The rain, which was slowly becoming small snowflakes, pattered softly against the panes. "I'm going to meet with him. Privately. Somewhere quieter. He should then tell me more about the incident. Perhaps I will suggest to train with me. He has shown great interest in various martial arts."

"That's your expertise then. Be nice to him, he may not remember his training."

"Of course."

Diana was about to hang up when 47 remembered that the police had become aware of Mr Marsh's case. And Grey is one of the suspects.

"That's not good," Diana also confirmed. "I will confiscate the police files. Possibly I can have the data changed. A simple police station is probably not that secure."

"There must be a scapegoat who can be held responsible for the murder."

"That will be found quickly. Mr Marsh had many enemies, including another investor not necessarily connected with Providence, but who spent the money on black market deals and drug trafficking. I'll do some more research and get back to you. The kindergarten should get a grace period for the next few years. But if I interpret the documents correctly, the property is still in questionable hands of the city. It may be that other investors will now get the idea of using it for other purposes."

"Grey won't like that."

"Then don't tell him. We don't want him catching up on his past in a cell for sloppily killing someone with his capable hands."

That made 47 grin. He always had a certain taste for seeing Grey in action. But he agreed with Diana: Grey shouldn't end up in a cell. They could get him out with ease, but then they would be back to square one and Grey would be a fugitive.

"Meet with him and train together, or whatever you want to do. There will come a time when you have to come clean. We should have a backup plan in case the situation escalates and Mr Grey doesn't believe you. Or in the worst case, tries to attack you."

"That's why we're rebuilding trust with each other right now. So that doesn't happen," 47 muttered as he tapped Grey's number into the display. Immediately afterwards, he opened the text messenger.

"You know I'm not a fan of you texting with him on WhatsApp. Avoid writing about sensitive issues with him."

"Don't worry, I know we're not the only ones who can read other people's messages."

Diana then hung up rather quickly and left with the usual successful wishes. 47 found it a bit difficult to write a good message. So he searched Google for normal phrases. He only found strange first pick-up lines for the first date. But he liked some words, so he composed a short message to Grey from sentence fragments he found:

_"Hi. It's Tobias. Thanks for your number. This is mine."_

47 stared at the text for a while. The Text was probably far too stiff, but 47 couldn't think of anything better, so he sent the message. He hadn't even put the phone down before a reply came.

_"Hey Tobias! Nice to hear from you_ _😊_ _and thank you for your number. I hope Zahra didn't run over you yesterday and you feel compelled to get back to me."_

_"No, I don't feel compelled."_

_"Very well. Just get in touch if you want to go out sometime. I know a nice pub._ _🍻_ _If you don't like beer, we can go to a bar._ _🍷_ _“_

47 wasn't sure if it wouldn't have been easier if they had called each other briefly. He wasn't that fast at typing. Still, he stuck to the messages. _"Both sound good. Tomorrow night at 8pm?"_

_"I'd love to_ _✨_ _Does it work with Olivia then?"_

It took a small moment for 47 to understand what Grey was getting at. Olivia was officially his daughter and three years old.

_"I have a babysitter for her."_

_"Great, that sounds good. I'm looking forward to it_ _🍹_ _"_

All the emojis in Grey's messages were a bit disturbing, but 47 didn't give it a second thought. Instead, he texted Diana that he would meet Grey tomorrow night.

When he was finally allowed to put the phone away, he thought about Olivia again. She had been an integral part of Grey's life. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to include her. At the very least, 47 should tell her that Grey was still alive. They had been close and known each other as long as Diana and 47. Presumably she would want to see Grey again at some point too. And she'd give him a run for his money if she found out Grey was alive and 47 hadn't told her.

He took his other phone and typed a message to Diana asking if she could find Olivia. Of course, she called back immediately instead of answering via text message. Much more practical than typing, too, in 47's eyes.

"Ms. Hall isn't easy to find, 47, do you want to bring her into your scheme?"

"Yes. She and Grey were very close. Possibly she can refresh his memories as well."

"Although that seems like a good idea, it is still uncertain how Mr Grey would react. You can inform Ms Hall, but ask her to keep a low profile. I don't want Mr Grey to be overwhelmed if several people appeal to his memory all at once."

"Understood."

"It may take some time. She's very good at hiding. I'll be in touch."

"Send her a coded message that her partner is alive and to report back to me. She'll be coming our way by then."

Diana agreed, albeit hesitantly, and then hung up. 47 took the opportunity to clean his weapons once more. It calmed him. And gave him space to think.

Only a few hours later, his laptop turned on, even though it was switched off on the kitchen island. 47 stood up cautiously and approached the screen. The laptop started up and immediately opened several programmes. Many of them lit up red and refused access. However, his camera and microphone switched on. 47 saw himself in the screen. Then Olivia.

"He's alive?" was the first thing she said. The room she was sitting in was dark, so 47 couldn't make out much of her face. Still, he was sure it was her.

"Yes. But he's lost his memory."

"Oh, shit," she slipped. She turned away from the screen for a moment and rubbed her hands over her face. "He's okay so far, though? How did he survive that?"

"Grey is a bad shot. Two hunters found him in the woods and took him to the hospital. They took care of him there. He's been living in the suburbs of Plymouth and being a nursery worker ever since."

"He's _what_?"

"A nursery worker," 47 simply repeated what he had just said; knowing that it had been more of a rhetorical question by Olivia.

"Oh my God, so he really can't remember?"

"No. I've already spoken to him. My number didn't tell him anything either. Neither did your name."

"You've already told him about me?"

"Not exactly," 47 muttered, finally sitting down at the kitchen counter. He pulled the laptop a little closer to him. "Since he works in a kindergarten, I pretended to have a child named Olivia who is three years old."

"Great story. And you're just getting back to me _now_?"

47 glanced sideways for a moment. Uncharacteristically, he was struggling with his words. "I had to process the information myself first."

"Oh... sorry. Yeah, sure. You guys were close too. Probably closer than Lucas and I." She sighed again and rubbed her face one last time. "Okay, so what's the procedure? He has to remember, right? I mean, he can't work in a nursery forever. He's got so much blood on his hands - sooner or later someone's going to smell it."

Nice metaphor. "That's the plan. I'll meet with him tomorrow night. I'll try to get a little closer to him there."

"Okay, wow, so you guys are already in contact? And you're meeting up? So, you're not forcing him or rushing him, yeah?"

"The meeting is on a voluntary basis."

Olivia smirked. "He can't remember you, but he wants to meet you? How did you manage that?"

"He seems to remember me subconsciously. He finds my presence reassuring."

She laughed out loud then. "Okay, yes, something like that can only come from him. No one finds your presence _reassuring_. No offence."

"None taken."

"What can I contribute?"

"Nothing for now. Stay undercover. You can watch him if you want. You already have the coordinates. But don't make contact with him."

"Because he'll find out your three-year-old daughter is already computer literate?"

"That too. But especially because we can't be sure yet that he's not undercover or reacting badly to the truth."

"He would never work covertly against you."

47 let out some air through his nose. "He doesn't remember me. If he did remember, I'd agree with you. But we just can't be sure right now."

"I see..." Olivia breathed, looking sadly at the screen in front of her. "Then I'll watch you and standby should I have anything to contribute. I would so love to see him. Honestly, I'm a little envious of you. You were with him when he had his last moment. And now you're with him at his first moments."

"You had him by your side for many years. I lost him after only a few weeks." The merciless honesty in 47's words didn't just make Olivia fall silent. 47 also wondered at his own wording. The realisation that he had actually lost Grey again after such a short time was slowly coming to the fore, giving the agent a slight headache.

After they had both lapsed into a sombre silence, 47's mobile phone suddenly buzzed. He stood up without comment and looked at the screen. Grey had texted him again.

_"Sorry to bother you again, but we haven't agreed on a place to meet. I'll just suggest the pub here: [link] Let me know if that's okay_ _👍_ _"_

"Oh God, you're texting each other on WhatsApp?", Olivia's voice rang from the laptop.

"Yeah," 47 replied monotonously as he tapped the text box to reply to Grey.

"It's just the most unsafe way of communicating, you realise that?"

"Diana already pointed it out to me."

Olivia murmured, muttering something about "Boomer." She typed wildly on her keyboard, nearly choking on her own spit. "Your messages are terrible!"

47 turned demonstratively to the laptop. "Then don't read them."

"Yes, I do, if you're that carless by choosing an app with such safety issues, you have to expect someone else to read them." She rummaged thought the texts silently, shaking her head in fascination. "Lucas uses so many emojis. Wow. He was actually always the guy who had a thousand spelling mistakes in them and didn't use full stops or commas."

"Maybe he forgot that too."

Olivia actually laughed briefly. "Maybe. But it reads like you've been in contact several times before."

"Two nights at a club."

"You went to a club? Partying? Honestly, 47, you always surprise me. What were you guys doing there?"

"Talked. But not about his past. About superficial things." Again, and again 47 tried to type a reply, but was mentally interrupted. Finally, his word "Okay" erased itself.

"Your previous answers were super stuffy. Lucas can't remember you, so you'll have to be on your best behaviour. Otherwise, he might lose interest. We can't risk that. Let me do it," Olivia said and started typing. Simultaneously, the text appeared on his phone as well.

_"Sounds great! Let's meet outside the entrance and then go in together. See you tomorrow_ _👋_ _"_

"That doesn't sound like me," 47 grumbled as the message was already sent.

"It does now. I'm going to go through your camera records. I'll see them here on your computer. Then I'll get back to you. In the meantime, try not to scare him off with your manner."

"That would have happened already."

She gave another short laugh. Overall, she seemed very cheerful. Grey's presence seemed to have put her in a good mood. "Also, true again. See you later." With that, she disappeared from 47's laptop. Programs opened in the background, but closed at the same moment.

"Don't try to access Providence or ICA data. Diana won't like that," 47 sighed into the otherwise silent room, well aware that Olivia probably still had her ears on him.

His mobile vibrated in his hand. A new message from Grey.

_"Good idea, see you tomorrow_ _☺_ _👋_ _"_

The longer 47 stared at the message, the less he could picture Grey typing it. But maybe that had something to do with his changed personality. He had never been this cheerful and happy. At least not during the times whenever he was out with 47. But he had shown the tendency to be more optimistic in general. In the worst moments, Grey had always managed to crack a joke. Be it ever so macabre.

In the evening, 47 climbed back up to the roof terrace. It began to snow. Light flakes settled on the world and formed a soft layer of powder. Grey had started cleaning the flat after a feast of frozen pizza and a handful of gummy bears. He ran frantically through the rooms with the cleaning rag and wiped down all the surfaces. As he started to mop the floor on all fours and banged his head against the living room table, 47's work mobile rang. It was Olivia.

"Guess what I found out," she began, appearing to grin broadly.

"Grey's cleaning his flat," 47 replied monotonously, watching Grey rub his head.

"Huh? Oh, yeah that could be. He's all nervous about tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?" 47 immediately pricked up his ears. A secret meeting? Would the police come by again to question him? Had he hired a hitman after all? Someone that wasn’t _him_?

"Have you forgotten already? You're going to that pub tomorrow?"

47 had to pause. "That's what he's excited about?"

Olivia laughed softly into the phone. "Oh yeah. Those messages he wrote you? He didn't write those to you at all. Well, he did... but with a lot of help. From a blonde woman. I looked her up. Her name is Zahra Rhodes. Do you know her?"

"Indeed," the agent muttered, watching Grey disappear from the living room into the bathroom. There was no window, so 47 could only assume he was cleaning there too.

"The two of them were sitting together over Luca's phone, messaging together. I hacked his phone and went through his WhatsApp account. His other messages are just as I remembered them: almost illegible."

"So, Rhodes knows."

"Yes, but I wouldn't give it too much importance right now. Grey came up to her and asked for her help, I guess. I don't have the whole scene on camera, there aren't any in the nursery. But a few streets away, if you zoom in well, you can see the playground. And with his mobile phone I was able to listen to the conversations."

"Don't get caught."

Olivia puffed out indignantly. "Not by Lucas, though. Especially not without his memories. Even your beloved Diana couldn't find me. But I got your message, from there I was ready to show myself."

"Where are you right now, anyway?"

"In Copenhagen. It's nice here."

Grey came back into 47's field of vision with a bucket and rag. He seemed tired and didn't feel like cleaning any more. Nevertheless, he went to the kitchen and started putting all the ready-made meals away in cupboards. "Is he afraid to meet me tomorrow?"

"Not at all, just the opposite actually. I think he can't wait. But the whole thing is going in a bit different direction than maybe intended. I don't know if that was your plan."

"Which way is it going?" 47 had to admit that his plan rather started when Grey and he were alone and they could talk about the really important things. Namely, his memories and past.

Olivia struggled for a few moments until she snorted out in amusement. "So, you know, Lucas denies it. But that Rhodes woman is convinced you're going on your first date tomorrow."

47 furrowed her eyebrows. "Date?"

"Yeah, a romantic date! You know, when you just get to know each other and then go out for a drink. You know! Oh, probably not. Have you ever been on a date?"

"No."

She sighed again then. "That's what I thought. Do you want me to give you a quick explanation of how it works? Or do you want to show up tomorrow in full robot fashion?"

The headache was getting a little stronger. Normally, 47 never had a headache. Maybe it was the change in weather, sitting on a cold rooftop for several hours every day, and Olivia wanting to give him dating advice.

"Explain."

Olivia took a deep breath. "Just imagine... Person A and Person B are completely normal people. No hitmen, no agents, no soldiers or anything. Just person A and person B."

"I'm imagining it."

"Good. These two people didn't know each other before, but then they get to know each other in a club. And such a club is already a place where a lot of flirting takes place. I can imagine that the two of you rather didn't do that, but who knows."

47 wasn't stupid. He knew what was flirting and what wasn't. Whether Grey was simply being polite or flirting with 47, however, stood like a big question mark in the room. It felt kind of strange to think about it. So far, neither he nor Grey had time to speculate about such things. In that moment 47 realised he might not now exactly what was flirting and what wasn’t.

"Well, anyway. The two people exchange mobile numbers and text each other. Person A seeks the help of a good friend because he desperately wants to look great, but he knows his texts aren't that good. So, the friend helps him."

"Olivia, I know you're talking about us. Why are we making it person A and person B?"

"Because Lucas doesn't know who you are! To him, you're just some guy from the club. Supposedly you even have a three-year-old daughter. They've talked about you a lot. From the mobile phone recordings, it was clear that Rhodes somehow imagines you as a lovely dad who earns a few extra bucks in the club at night so that he can buy his daughter a great bike for Christmas. They both also assume you're a single parent. And Lucas thinks you're pretty cute."

"He didn't say that."

"He did," Olivia laughed, lost for a moment. "I couldn't believe it either. But that's what I'm getting at, 47, he doesn't know that you're actually the exact opposite of cute. But from the way he's come to know you, you're a cute single dad with a three-year-old daughter who's apparently also shown interest in Lucas in the conversations you've had so far."

"The interest definitely wasn't meant to be... like this," 47 muttered, watching as Grey slowly came to the end. He poured the water out of the bucket and hung the rag up to dry. He let a glance wander around the flat and suddenly rearranged the cushions on the sofa. As he began to rearrange the whole sofa, he heard Olivia speak again.

"Lucas just took it differently. I can imagine him living a normal life and a partnership becomes something interesting. Believe me, Lucas has never cared about anything like that before. I think there was a woman he had once. But she died pretty quickly in the crossfire. After that, his heart was broken and he didn't want to know anything about romance. He couldn't even watch romantic comedies with me anymore."

"There's no room for romance in our world," 47 said more coldly than he intended. He knew how Grey must have felt. When he had taken a step into a relationship in his past, he had also been bitterly disappointed. A normal life was not imaginable. Especially not a partnership.

"But Lucas no longer lives in that world. He now lives in the world of normal people. And there's plenty of room for romance. Your meeting tomorrow is under the pretext of getting to know each other. _You_ know that there's more to it. _He_ doesn't know that."

"And what am I supposed to do with that information now?"

"That Lucas’ expectations will probably be different tomorrow," she said nonchalantly, seeming to shrug. "I'll keep it short. You don't want to hear about Person A and Person B. But if I put one and one together, Lucas is assuming you guys have a date tomorrow. You said he's cleaning his flat right now? That's pretty serious."

"Why?"

"Do I really have to explain this to you?" she murmured, snorting into the microphone. "He's assuming you're coming to his place tomorrow. Or sees it as a probability. And because of that, of course, you want the place to look good. Quite a lot of people do that before their first dates."

"Well, that was the plan. His place or mine. We can't talk undisturbed in a pub."

Olivia took a deep breath. "Poor Lucas. Thinks he's going on a nice date with a man his own age tomorrow and then it turns out the guy doesn't want his body; he wants his memory."

In 47, everything tightened. "Make a suggestion as to how I should solve it differently."

"Depends on what your intention is. Do you want to just yank him back into your world? Then go over and talk to him now. You could have saved yourself many days here in this city. But since you didn't, I assume you want to do it the safe way."

"We don't know what Grey is involved in. Depending on the people he's involved with, it could be dangerous. For him and for the nursery."

"You mean depending on which guys you're dealing with and they become aware that Lucas Grey is still alive? Because that's the next problem: you pull him back into your world, he'll be back on the radar. And in the last few years, he's made a lot of enemies. A lot of them are already under the ground, but I'm sure some of them are still on the way."

47 knew it was another risk to bring Grey back. An argument he was hearing for the second time.

"So, you're saying I should just leave Grey here?"

"Let him live his life? Actually, sounds like the best solution, doesn't it? He always wanted to be free. I guess he is now." Olivia sounded sad and dejected all at once. Her voice became thin and quiet. "But I'm probably like you on that. I don't want to leave him here. I want him back too. The old Lucas. Our friend."

"Then he needs to remember his past."

"Perhaps the decision can be left up to him? Once he remembers, he can still decide whether to come back to us or stay in the kindergarten."

"I can't imagine he would want to be around children anymore with the knowledge of himself and his past."

Olivia fumed. "Whatever! Then keep doing what you're doing and stick with him. Gain his trust and tell him what's needed. Hopefully he won't go crazy or think you're crazy."

"That's why I need to take it slow."

"Yes, just maybe be careful not to get his hopes up so much. I understand, that you don't want to let more time pass than necessary. I wouldn't want either. But the more you throw yourself at him, the sooner Lucas will think you want something from him. Which is... well, I just explained."

"Yes, thanks."

"Sure. Well, I'll talk to you later. Have fun tomorrow on your first date."

47 just didn't say anything more, but hung up. Grey had moved the sofa three more times, only to end up pushing it back to where it had been all along. Finally, he trained for a few more minutes. 47 packed up his things and went back to his flat.

For a few minutes he looked around the large open flat. It was clean and tidy. 47 had hardly any personal belongings there. After all, he had only lived here for a few days. There was no need to go on a cleaning spree like Grey. So, 47 went to bed, wondering just before he fell asleep why he was even thinking about cleaning the flat for Lucas. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all sooo much for staying with me up until now 🥺 I just finished the story but need to translate and proof read it still. But I hope I can continue to post every second day, so you won't have to wait for too long!


	6. 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kind of longer chapter and it gets shippyyy! I hope all of my readers are okay with that, but since I tagged it, I hope most of my readers are here to see the shippy stuff 😬

The days went by faster than 47 thought. Diana had called again, asking how he was and whether he needed help with Operation Lucas Grey. He negated, but he was glad that she had contacted him in the meantime. It made him feel like she cared.

"I was able to fake the police reports, by the way," she said in an aside, as if it had been no big deal to keep the local police off Grey's heels.

47 was in the process of buttoning up his shirt. Classic white with a burgundy inlay. "So what's the status now?"

"The other investor Kieron Dotson I told you about was actually trying to cheat Mr Marsh out of his finances by laundering money with his investments. He also wanted to successively manipulate the properties Mr Marsh owned to make them dilapidated. The reason for this was a dispute over land for a football stadium, which was tied to a multi-million-dollar contract. Mr Marsh played dirty at the time and thus cornered his opponent. In the end, the contract went to him and two of Mr Dotson's subsidiaries went bankrupt. The two had nothing to do with each other for a long time. Nevertheless, it seemed credible enough that the police is now investigating further. Mr Grey and the nursery should be off the hook for now. However, I can't foresee whether the police investigation will come to a viable conclusion."

"Very unorthodox, Ms Burnwood." 47 had to grin as he turned up his collar to put on his tie. Or was a tie too much? He wasn't on a business trip, after all. The bar whose link had sent Grey didn't look too fancy. But not like a rat hole either. From the pictures, it was hard to judge whether 47 would stand out with his distinctive look.

"You know me. Besides, it's not like Mr Dotson was an angel on earth. If he's going to prison, I'm sure it'll be for a lot of other shenanigans."

"Grey just needs to get out of the police's sight in time for no one else to come looking for him and possibly find more about him than necessary. He's still defenceless."

He decided against the tie. But the shirt didn't look good like that. The collar was not made to be worn open. Maybe he should reach more into his casual clothing box.

"You're watching him. I think that's more protection than some people can claim."

47 reached into his very sparsely stocked mirrored wardrobe and pulled out a black shirt. Grey wore a lot of black. But unlike him, it always made 47 look a little drab. Like he'd just come from a funeral or was going to one. In most cases, it was a good intimidation technique. Unfortunately, not particularly advantageous for tonight. "I may not be able to intervene right away, though. Grey is still much on his own. Olivia probably has more eyes on him than I do."

"That's fine if Ms Hall is as involved. The sooner we get him out of the crossfire, the better."

When he'd pulled the black shirt on anyway, he took it off immediately. Too sad. Maybe a pair of light-coloured trousers?

"Changed your mind so quickly? A few days ago, you wanted me to leave him to his fate."

47 pulled out a dark blue linen shirt. It was still snowing outside. A good layer of snow had slowly formed. A summer linen shirt was too cold. Maybe he should do without shirts altogether and put on a jumper instead.

Diana seemed oblivious to 47's inner decision-making distress. "I thought it best if he could live his life as an ignorant educator. But since I see that you don't necessarily like this idea and have acted abundantly against my suggestions, I'm trying to minimise the damage by helping Mr Grey get back on his feet as quickly as possible. He can probably still take the best care of himself, unless the incident has done more damage to his brain than we assume."

47 was still standing in front of the wardrobe in only boxer shorts. The choice of jumpers was pretty slim. He would have to go shopping again. A black turtleneck, but then again it was black and therefore quite drab, and a wine-red V-neck jumper, but it would only be worn with a shirt, which again was too formal for the upcoming activity.

"You went through the hospital records, didn't you? There was no indication of any cerebral damage in motor function or reaction."

47 put on the black turtleneck and looked at himself in the mirror. Normally he wore it for night missions. It was basically a night mission, wasn't it? With the difference that he wouldn't kill anyone. Probably.

"That's true. However, I assume that the hospital did not test him for combat and shooting training. Here it remains to be seen to what extent his skills are still there."

He kept the turtleneck on and pulled a pair of beige trousers over his legs. He made a fashion statement with an Hermès belt. Or was that too chick? Grey, after all, lived in a small flat with an equally small educator's salary. His colleagues also all seemed to be middle class. 47 left the belt on for now.

"I'm going to hold some training sessions with Grey. Either as an excuse to train with each other or with his memories to test him."

Diana seemed to agree. "All in good time. Later, you'll have to concentrate on not scaring Grey or even provoking him for now. We don't know how he'll react to the story of actually being a genetically modified killer who has probably killed as many people as you have."

47 looked in the mirror again. No matter what he wore, it would make him look too formal or dressed for a job. That was why he decided to just wear what he was wearing now.

"Morals are not something you and I should discuss."

A soft giggle escaped Diana's lips. "You're right about that. Birds of a feather flock together. Now I won't keep you any longer. Good luck for later. Get back to me as soon as you know anything new."

"Will do."

With that, she hung up. Before 47 could put the work phone away, it vibrated. A message from Olivia:

_"Nervous? As many times as you've changed, you’d think so. Turtleneck looks great, pants are awful. But it fits. Be sure to leave the belt off! Good luck on your first date."_

47 took a quiet breath and put the phone down on the kitchen counter without sending a reply. He then grabbed the pre-paid mobile phone and got ready. He put the belt back in the cupboard before he left.

The bar looked all right from afar. People were partly standing outside in the cold smoking their cigarettes. In his functional jacket with fur, 47 stood next to it and waited. People paid little attention to him. A good sign.

Finally, at just before 8, a message came from Grey:

_"sorry im gonna br late im there ib 5 min"_

There it was. The first message from the real Grey. No punctuation and lots of typos. 47 actually caught himself smiling.

After 6 minutes Grey appeared on the street. He had a very fast stride and almost bumped passers-by off the pavement.

"I'm so sorry," he greeted 47, smiling tensely. "I missed the tram."

"No problem," 47 replied calmly, taking a few steps towards Grey, "Shall we go in?"

Grey nodded enthusiastically and led the way. The bar itself was relatively full. Most of the tables were occupied; even at the bar there were many people. The music was rather normal in contrast to the nightclub: pop and shallow electro. Grey approached a staff member and seemed to recite his reservation. They were both immediately shown to a somewhat secluded corner where a table for two was reserved in the name of "Grey".

When they had both taken off their jackets and sat at the table, a young waitress came immediately. She oohed at Grey for a particularly long time. "Can I take your order?" she chirped in a high-pitched voice, grinning widely. 47 didn't quite know how to handle it.

Grey, on the other hand, took a quick glance at the menu, which consisted of only two pages, and ordered a beer. 47, who didn't really plan on drinking alcohol that night, ordered one too. His lack of decisiveness came through again.

"Somehow I expected you to be more of a wine drinker," Grey admitted, visibly trying to mask his nervousness.

"What gives you the impression?"

He propped his forearms on the table and began waving his hand in the air. "You're rather reserved. Kind of sophisticated. Beer doesn't go with that. And when I see you like this - for once not in work clothes - you also seem to place a lot of value on appearances. And wine is the drink of the rich and beautiful."

Grey laughed, obviously trying to make a joke. 47 was surprised to be so accurately appraised. The wording, on the other hand, seemed to have been rather mocking.

"So, you think I'm rich and beautiful?"

Immediately Grey fell silent and glanced furtively to the side. But before he could say anything, their drinks arrived. The lady placed both beers on coasters and grinned again. "Can I get you anything else?"

Grey shook his head in thanks. 47 did likewise.

"Tell me something about yourself," Grey began out of the blue, leaning further on the table. As he did so, he crossed his arms. Only now did 47 realise that Grey wasn't wearing a black T-shirt for once. Instead, he was wearing a black open-necked shirt. An unusual sight, which 47 liked in a way.

But before 47 would go like a bull at a gate and blurted that he was a hitman, he first asked a question: "What do you want to know?"

"I don't know," Grey muttered and began to nibble at the label of his beer. "You work at the club. But you don't do that full-time, do you?"

47 sipped his beer. It tasted okay. "Correct."

"What do you do during the day then?"

"I'm an undertaker."

Grey grinned. "A lucrative business, I can imagine. Isn't it depressing to be confronted with death all the time?"

"Sometimes," 47 said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Because actually it wasn't depressing. It was his job, after all.

"Where are you and Olivia from? Zahra told me you've only recently moved." Grey took a few generous sips of his beer and set it down again with a sigh. 47 detected a slight tremor in his right hand. Nervousness or effects of the accident?

Normally, 47 was a good liar when it came down to it. One of the many advantages that came with his hard training. But lying to Grey made him uncomfortable for some inexplicable reason. "From Cape Town."

"Wow!" Grey seemed visibly excited. "And what made you move away from there? Do more people die here than in Cape Town?"

47 raised both eyebrows. Grey immediately backpedalled. He didn't seem to have fully embraced his macabre side yet. So, he added, "Sorry. I shouldn’t make jokes of this. It's never nice when people die."

"It always depends on the person who died. And who they left behind."

That made Grey look sad. "Did you lose someone?"

They both took a good swig of their beer. The mood was very sombre. Olivia had described "a first date" a little more cheerfully. But still, 47 couldn’t resist to say: "Yes."

Grey immediately leaned back and pressed his lips together. "I'm so sorry about that. Sorry, it's none of my business really either."

"It's okay," 47 murmured, looking deep into Grey's eyes. The little light from the bar made his normally bright green eyes look dull. "That's why I'm here now."

"And Olivia," Grey added, looking sadly into his beer. "I hope she didn't notice much of that."

That silenced even 47 for a moment. "She coped with it in her own way."

"Oh, shit," Grey cursed, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry about that."

"Don't be. Since we've been here, her mood has improved in a significant way."

Immediately the smile came back to Grey's lips. "I'm glad to hear that. I'd like to meet her sometime. Maybe she can come on an outing with us sometime. We're going to the zoo on Friday with the afternoon group. If she feels like it, she's welcome to join us. Zahra and the others basically know who you and Olivia are, so it shouldn’t be an issue."

47 took another sip. The beer was almost gone. Grey was encouraging him to drink more than he would have liked. "I can ask her sometime. She's a shy girl, though. Maybe you should get to know each other first in a more private way. Without other ...kids."

Grey's eyes immediately started to light up. "Oh, ah, yes, of course! I mean... if you'd like me to meet her?"

"Absolutely," 47 said, trying to put on a smile. Olivia certainly couldn't wait to be able to give her partner in crime a hug.

Grey finished his beer with big gulps. He immediately stared at 47's. "Do you want another one? I'll go and get one then."

Without waiting for an answer, he stood up and took the empty bottle from 47. The latter just nodded and watched as Grey walked with quick steps to the bar. There he ordered not only two new beers, but also two shots. He came back with a small tray.

"I thought we'd have a quick toast. We forgot earlier," he announced and put the glasses on the table. "You don't have to work for once, we should celebrate."

"You drink a lot," 47 noted as he watched Grey already holding his shot glass. His eyes immediately widened.

"Occasionally... I like to drink. Yeah..." he muttered, seeming embarrassed by it. "You only know me drunk I just realised. Maybe I should resolve to stay sober for today."

"That wasn't an accusation, just an observation," 47 corrected his statement unconvincingly and raised his shot glass to toast Grey. "To a good evening."

Then Grey smiled again, albeit reservedly. "Here's to a good evening. Thanks for taking the time, Tobias."

They both threw the alcohol down their throats and set the glass down on the table with a loud noise. Grey calling him Tobias sat uncomfortably in 47's stomach. When they both said nothing for a while, 47 started to steer the conversation in the desired direction, "Tell me more about the incident you had."

Grey's breath caught. "Are you sure you want to talk about my suicide attempt?"

"Yes," 47 replied, not understanding why that would be problematic. After all, he had been there. But then he remembered that Grey had remembered the whole story differently and did not know that 47 had been there. People don't usually talk about a suicide attempt, do they? "Unless you don’t want to talk about it."

Grey scratched the back of his neck and seemed to consider. "I don't remember much. So, I guess I can't tell you much from that either. I was in the woods and I guess I tried to shoot myself in the head. Here, from below," he explained, suddenly raising his head. 47 saw the large scar under his chin. A depressing feeling spread through him. The memory of the shot and the image of his best friend leaning lifeless against the tree came back all at once.

"I also had a wound on my stomach. Probably a bullet wound too. I don't know where it came from. The police suspected that someone had shot me. But all the bullet casings they found were from the gun in my hand. Eventually they closed the case. I don't think anyone was in the woods that night either. Mr Rhodes, Zahra's father, found me at dawn. He owns the forest."

47's ears perked up. "He owns the whole forest?"

"He shares the forest with two other gentlemen. They hunt there often. Zahra comes from a very wealthy family. They have a lot of money. But she has consciously decided against luxury. Nevertheless, she loves her father. And he saved my life. So even though I don't get on so well with him personally, he is my life saver."

He would give that information to Diana. He assumed she had already cross-checked Mr Rhodes, but better safe than sorry.

"Anyway... I was then in hospital for many weeks. Even though the doctors speak of a miracle, in retrospect I can't quite agree to that. It took ages before I could speak properly again. They had to remove part of my tongue. And my eye, but I've already shown you that," Grey continued, briefly drumming his fingernail on the acrylic eye again. "The memories of who I was and where I came from were all gone. It was only with time that I was able to remember a few things."

"Like what?" inquired 47. Staring, he watched Grey think harder.

"Languages, for example. I'm fluent in Arabic, can you imagine?" He laughed softly then. "I don't remember learning Arabic, but when a family from the United Emirates was there, I could understand every word. Spanish, too, for example. But I'm supposedly from Argentina. Although I can't remember it. Must have moved away when I was a kid."

"But you don’t know why you shot yourself in the head, do you?”

Grey immediately shook his head. "I don't know. I don't feel depressed. Or desperate. I don't seem to have had any money debts or anything like that either, which is why you want to blow your brains out even if you're not depressed. Whatever reason it may have been, it now seems to have become null and void. No one has contacted me since the incident. No ... wife. Or family in general. Not even friends..."

His gaze went sadly to the floor again.

"Maybe you're not from around here. And they didn't know you were here," 47 explained, trying to give clues bit by bit as to how the situation in the forest might really have gone.

"Zahra already suspected that too. You see, she has never seen me in the area before. And she Is convinced she knows everyone," Grey smirked and raised his shoulders. "But since I can't remember where I actually came from either, I don't know who I could let know that I'm still alive. Maybe I had a wife and children. But since no one has filed a missing person's report either, they seem happy with me being gone."

The uneasy feeling in 47s stomach grew stronger. "Did you have a ring on?" he knew Grey hadn't been wearing one. The idea of a wife and child had to die quickly.

"No," Grey answered truthfully, pressing his lips together. "Maybe I was single, too. Who knows? At least I am now." At this, he gave a short chuckle and drank from his beer.

47 knew what he was alluding to. Olivia's words echoed in his head that Grey had come to this meeting on the pretext of a date. "Good to know."

"Sorry, that wasn't meant to come across as desperate or anything..." Grey muttered, taking another sip. 47 still had his full beer, while Grey was almost ready to go back for another.

47 thought about how he could further boost Grey's memories. There was no way around being more obvious. But once again he found himself in the predicament that they were not alone and he did not know how Grey would react. He certainly didn't seem to be a double agent. Or he had become an enormously good actor.

All of a sudden, 47's prepaid mobile vibrated. Completely surprised, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the display. Apparently "Olivia" was calling.

"Go ahead and answer it. I'll wait here," Grey said kindly, pointing to the phone in 47's hands. "Maybe it's something important."

"It's Olivia," 47 declared, already standing up. Grey immediately looked concerned and watched as 47 left the bar for the phone call. Once outside, he took the call.

"What are you doing?" she groaned into the receiver. "This is by far the worst date ever!"

"Then don't eavesdrop," 47 grumbled, closing his eyes to keep his composure.

"You push him from one corner to the next. You're also the only one who seamlessly moves from the suggested death of his non-existent wife to the backstory of your date's suicide."

"Did you call me to tell me I'm not good at flirting?"

"That would be the understatement of the century. Watch this: You want to go to Lucas’s flat? Either you ask him right now or you play along. If you ask right now, you're taking two risks: a) He'll say no because he doesn't want a one-night stand. Or just b) He thinks you want to kill him because your aura just radiates that 24/7."

"So, you want me to play along." 47 snorted, producing a large cloud of haze in the cold air. The music from inside and the people standing outside were loud enough for 47 to have to focus on Olivia's voice to understand her.

"It's not like I want to help two old men on their date when, first of all, it's not even in the room that you two are supposed to somehow develop romantic feelings for each other. That would be kind of weird, too. Aren't you guys kind of like brothers?"

"He's not my real brother. We just grew up together."

"Well, it’s funny how you’re okay with romantic feelings then. Anyway, play along and just don't be a creep for once. Okay?"

"Okay."

"... You didn't get what I meant, did you? Best go in and ask him about his favourite band. Or what he likes to eat. Or revisit the martial arts idea. Or the zoo thing! Man, 47, he wants _you_ to come, not _me_. Aka your daughter, who doesn't exist. Whatever! And don't attack him for drinking, okay? He's struggled with that for a long time."

"He's always been a heavy drinker?"

"Well, you know... people with feelings tend to perceive things negatively sometimes. He could remember everything. He took in every murder he ever committed. Everything that ever happened weighed on him. And he couldn't brush it off so easily. Sometimes he could handle the burden better, sometimes not. At times he needed support and he often took it in the form of alcohol. He didn't want to drag me into it. Well, and anyone else wasn’t there at the time. In the end only alcohol was left to numb the pain."

47 didn't know how to answer that. When Olivia didn't say anything either, he looked briefly into the bar. Grey was sitting with his back to the door and seemed to be typing on his mobile phone. Very likely he was talking to Zahra Rhodes.

"It's hard for me to put myself in other people's shoes," 47 finally said, turning back again. As he did so, he shuffled some snow under his feet. It had started snowing a little bit more again.

"It's okay. Just set the goal that you have to win Lucas. Somehow. Once he trusts you and lets you into his world, you can bring him back into ours."

"I'd prefer a serum."

"We all probably would. But no serum in the world will be able to replace a piece of brain." Olivia was silent again for a few moments. "Do you really never drink?"

"No."

"Have you ever been drunk?"

"No."

"I think it's time today then, don't you? I imagine alcohol loosens your tongue a bit too."

"That's exactly the effect I'm trying to avoid."

"Yeah, just today you want to have a loose tongue, okay? Have another drink with him. Even though I don't approve of his alcoholism any more than you do. But he can get rid of that when he can remember. After all, it's not just me he's got now, it's you and Diana. We'll catch him should the memories come back to haunt him."

"Maybe you'd better talk to him. You seem to have more of a plan about this," 47 concluded and was about to go in with the phone and hand it to Grey.

"No, you made the soup, now you have to eat it. You should have thought about that before," she said sternly, snorting audibly into the phone. "Now go in, have a few rounds with him and then your tongue will loosen up. Talk about nice things. Not about death. Remember Grey can't remember."

"Yes, I'll try."

"Good, good luck. I'll keep listening. And I'll interrupt you again if I have to!"

"Understood."

With that she hung up. 47 had to sigh. The plan was getting more and more complicated. He would like to go back to the roof and observe. Or kill someone. He was good at that. He wasn't good at being normal.

When he came back in, Grey was sitting dutifully where 47 had left him. He quickly put his phone away and looked at 47 with wide eyes. "Everything okay with Olivia?"

"Yeah, that was the babysitter. Olivia had a bit of a tantrum."

Grey smiled fondly. "They like to go ballistic at that age. Can only hope that changes quickly as the years go by."

"If anything," added 47. At the same moment he waved the waitress over. "Let's have another drink."

Grey's eyes widened. "Weren't we going to stay sober today?"

"We can do that some other time." 47 had decided it was too early for interventions. Grey hadn’t taken the issue concerning his suicide well and would only curl up in a cocoon should 47 go too far. After that, there would only be the hard way: confronting him directly about the past.

"Alright," Grey said cheerfully without giving it much thought. "Let's order more right away, then the lady won't have to keep coming over."

They ordered several shots, a litre of beer, a bottle of wine and another Coke to top it up. 47 wasn't quite sure about the quantity, but Grey blessed it all with euphemistic nods of his head. They toasted each round and probably finished the glasses far too quickly. But 47 didn't feel like waiting any longer, so he wanted to end the evening quickly. Once again, he had to be patient in order to introduce Grey to his past on another day. But anyone who could spend 10 minutes in a closet waiting for his target could also get over a few more days when it came to his best friend.

"You're the best thing that's happened to my boring everyday life in a long, long time, Tobias," Grey purred, visibly buzzed, propping himself up on his hand. "I love the kids with all my heart, but something's missing... Bit of action, you know?"

47 nodded and found he didn't like the woozy feeling. Olivia had prophesied that his tongue would become loose. It seemed to work wonderfully for Grey. He'd been talking through for minutes. 47, on the other hand, had been getting quieter and quieter. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd said anything.

"You like martial arts too, you said. Let's train together, shall we? We're about the same age and have the same statue. I think we're quite equal opponents, what do you think?"

Again 47 nodded, then quickly shook his head. "I'd win."

Grey laughed out loud. "You think so? What makes you so sure?"

"I already train regularly."

"Oh," Grey chortled, leaning a little further on the table. "Now that you mention it... it shows." At that, he looked closely at 47's muscles, which were pushing quite prominently through the tight turtleneck. "I can't wait to get under you."

47 choked on his wine and had to cough into the glass.

"I'm kidding!" Grey laughed loudly and immediately leaned back. "Sorry, when I get drunk, I get pretty horny. I end up saying things I regret enormously the next day. Please tell me if it makes you too uncomfortable."

Again, 47 just nodded and tried to smile. Apparently, he succeeded quite well, because Grey returned the smile immediately. As they both just smiled at each other, 47 tried to force himself through and be "normal".

"What's your favourite food?"

Grey seemed to think for a moment. "I think my favourite food is noodles. Any kind of noodles."

"Then we should go out for noodles sometime." 47 struggled a lot with his pronunciation. Anyway, he felt like he was wobbling in his chair.

"I'd love to," Grey muttered, leaning forward again. He grinned broadly and looked deep into 47's eyes.

47's mobile vibrated. He pulled it out and had a message from Olivia. It was simply a series of emoji thumbs.

"Even though I'm enjoying the evening enormously," Grey began, pushing aside one of the many glasses, "I have to go back to work tomorrow. And I'm sure you do too."

Looking at the phone again, 47 tried to make out the time. A little after 1am.

"Yeah... better get to bed," 47 mumbled, suddenly not sure where the time had gone. They had talked about so many things again, but somehow nothing had stuck. They got up together and put on their jackets. Grey wanted to go and pay, but 47 grabbed him by the arm and pushed him against a pillar. For a brief moment Grey looked at him in shock, but then let 47 pay. Probably the grip had been a little too strong.

As they both walked out into the street and Grey almost slipped on the snow cover, they eventually walked hooked along the lit street. The snow gave way noisily under their shoes. Grey swayed far more than 47.

"Where do you live?" he asked out of the blue, even stopping for a moment. 47 had to stop with him as they were hooked.

"Just a few streets away." With that, he pointed in one direction with his free hand.

"Very good, me too. But the other way, unfortunately," Grey sighed, already detaching himself from 47's side with a heavy heart.

"I'll walk you home."

"There's no need," Grey began, but 47 had already tucked his friend's arm under his again. Without further resistance, they turned on their heels and walked down another street. As they did so, they passed a park where almost no one was to be seen. The lanterns made the snow glisten. The snow cover was still untouched.

"When I see areas of snow like this where no one has climbed in yet, it always makes me want to just jump in," Grey told, clinging a little more to 47's arm.

"Very destructive," 47 noted, looking to the snowy area as well.

"There's something like that inside me that wants to destroy all the time." Grey slowed down and finally stopped in the middle of the path. "But there's also a part of me that wants to build. Everything is so complicated sometimes... I often remember things," and here he looked up at the sky from which fine flakes were still raining, "that I don't remember. You know? Like a word you have on the tip of your tongue but can't pronounce. Like things are so close... but my head just doesn't want to remember."

47 looked at Grey for a while, finally breaking away. "Maybe I can help you get your memories back."

It was probably the alcohol that made Lucas not quite understand what 47 was trying to say. He turned to his friend and smiled gently. Finally, he took his hands and pulled him towards the park. "Come."

47 was about to ask where they were going when he stomped into the pristine snow that went almost to the middle of his shin. "No," he breathed and began to shake his head.

Grey was laughing out now. "Come on!"

"We're not going to do that," 47 warned, but still allowed himself to be pulled through the snow more badly than good. They both trudged through the high snow until Lucas stumbled while walking backwards and finally fell into the snow. Of course, he dragged 47 with him, whom he still held by the hands.

Both landed in the snow cover. Grey stayed on his back and laughed out loud while 47 was still trying to get back up. The snow was cold and crept into almost every corner that was not covered by his functional jacket.

"The snowflakes look like stars," Grey muttered, still smiling. "Look! The light from the lantern makes them glitter."

With that, he practically pushed 47 back into the snow and pointed to the many flakes falling from the sky. 47 gave in and lay down on his back next to Grey. His head buried itself in his hood as he did so. The whole world was spinning and 47 wasn't sure if he liked the feeling or not.

They both lay in the snow for a while, watching the flakes glisten from the sky. Finally, 47 felt Grey's cold hand reach out for his. He let it happen and waited to see if anything else came. But Grey stayed put, smiling, and continued to watch the snow fall.

"It's getting cold," 47 breathed after several minutes of the snow slowly melting into water.

"Yes... let's go home," Grey said and slowly sat up. He looked at 47 again with a smile and pulled him up by his hand. "Thanks for doing this shit with me."

As usual, 47 said nothing, but simply stood up. He reached for Grey's hand and helped him up. Grey, however, would not let go of his hand and trudged back to the cleared pavement with 47 at his side. Together they walked down the streets in silence, holding hands. It almost felt like when they were children. 6 always liked to hold 47s hand when no one was watching. They both felt safer that way.

When they arrived at Grey's flat, they stopped at the front door. By now, neither people nor cars could be heard. Even though it was the middle of the night, the snow shone brightly enough that it wasn't that dark.

Grey stood directly in front of 47 and finally let go of his hand. He avoided eye contact. "Thank you for a lovely evening, Tobias. I enjoyed it very much. I hope we can do it again?"

47 nodded. "We were supposed to go out for noodles."

Then Grey chuckled and reached for 47's jacket collar. "Right. I'll pick us out a nice restaurant."

"I'll pick it out," 47 said firmly. "I don't trust your taste."

Grey's eyes immediately snapped open, but he took it with humour. "Why is that? Have I been flaunting my bad taste?"

Quickly 47 realised that he would be giving himself away if he mentioned the instant meals now. Officially, after all, Tobias knew nothing about it. "I just have high standards when it comes to food."

The answer seemed to be enough for Grey. He smiled and nodded. "All right, then. Find us a nice restaurant that meets your standards."

"I'll do that."

They both looked into each other's eyes for a while longer. 47 didn't know what Grey was actually waiting for. Or was this the moment to be asked if he wanted to come upstairs?

"On Friday...", Lucas began quietly. "We're going to the zoo on Friday, after all. And I know Olivia probably won't come, but I thought... maybe you'd like to come? The kids will mostly be going through the zoo on their own, they're old enough. And I thought... maybe you'd like to see the zoo as well? It's quite nice, I've been there a few times."

47 had to grin slightly. Olivia had been right. "Send me the dates. I'll see if I can... take some time off."

Immediately Lucas backpaddled. "Oh, right, you have to work. No, so... only if it fits your schedule."

"It'll be fine."

They had been standing outside the door for quite a while. 47's hands were getting cold again. His feet were equally cold. The wetness of the snow crept through his cloth trousers.

Lucas, on the other hand, seemed to be in a completely different world. He stared into 47's eyes for a while longer and touched his cheeks with slightly shaking cold hands. Finally, he broke eye contact and looked at 47's lips.

Drunk or not, 47 should have stopped that. It was necessary to please Lucas in order to build trust. But a kiss was a step too far. Still, he watched as Grey closed his eyes and slowly placed his lips on 47's. His stubble scratched his face a little. His lips were raw from the cold. And the taste of alcohol was spreading.

Since 47 didn't move and stood like a pillar of salt in the middle of the snow, Lucas stopped after only a few moments. Again, he looked into the blue eyes and smiled gently. Finally, he released 47's cheeks.

"Good night, Tobias."

He trudged carefully backwards until he reached his front door. With red hands, he took out his keys.

"Good night... Lucas," 47 replied, watching his friend unlock the front door and finally go inside. Then he turned and trudged into his flat with quick steps.

His head was emptier than it had been for a long time. Basically, he hadn't achieved anything that had been on the agenda that evening. Nevertheless, it felt like a successful meeting.


	7. 7

One advantage of being genetically mutated was the fast regeneration of his body. When 47 woke up, he only felt a slight headache in his head, although he had been drinking heavily the previous evening. Memories blurred slightly, yet he could remember everything.

The nightly euphoria of having come a little closer to Grey faded relatively quickly the longer he thought about it. It was not a good idea to bind Grey to him in this way. If he got his memories back sooner or later, it could lead to discrepancies in their friendship.

As he sat after a long shower on the large white sofa, staring out the large wall of windows, he decided to call Diana and inform her of the newfound information: Mr Rhodes and the forest.

But before he could get to the subject, Diana inquired curiously. "How was your meeting?"

"Fine," 47 tried to keep it as brief as possible.

"Ms Hall told me that you made good progress. However, you didn't get to fulfil your plan with him yesterday. Do you want to wait a little longer?"

Apparently, Olivia was gossiping with Diana. "The situation was not appropriate. Besides, he seems to have only now gained confidence in me. I'll talk to him about the past at the end of the week."

"That's good. Good luck with that. Let me know if there is anything I can do."

Then 47 straightened up a little. "You can. Grey told me that his rescuer, Mr Rhodes, owned the forest where CICADA attacked Grey."

Diana drew in her breath sharply. "Not a good sign."

"Had you already done a background check?"

"Not to him," she admitted. You could hear her start to type. "Not in any depth, anyway. He's a wealthy hunter, but doesn't really seem to be involved in business otherwise. The whole family comes from good stock. Back in the day they made a lot of money in the Second World War making metal plates for tanks. However, none of this is now owned by Mr Rhodes or his family. Only the other hunter, Hugo Lawson, is currently active in cryptocurrency trading. But again, I couldn't find anything off the top of my head. What was more important at the time was that Mr Grey was alive."

"That's right. But could you please investigate further information?"

At that moment, 47's laptop, which had been sitting untouched but open on the living room table, switched on. Olivia's voice rang out in the room.

"If I may interject for a moment, this Rhodes seems to own not only the forest, but several properties in the village and in Plymouth itself. But they all go to a different name. Remember Haven? Where they gave people different identities? I still had the files on a hard drive. Sure, they've been out of date for ages now, but I found a Hugh Rhodes. His aliases are different people, but they're supposed to have been dead for decades."

Both 47 and Diana fell silent.

"This swapping of identities ... that was a Providence thing, wasn't it?" inquired Olivia cautiously. "Diana, I don't have any data from Providence servers here. You guys are pretty well encrypted. Either you look for yourself or..."

"I'll look right away," Diana said tensely. She was typing angrily.

"If Rhodes had connections to Providence... it could explain why Grey was found so quickly. Providence knew he was there. They cut our line, after all. Providence must have tipped off Rhodes accordingly," 47 muttered, looking gloomily out the window. It had stopped snowing, but the snow still lay in thick layers on the houses. The sky was grey, hinting at renewed snowfall.

"Shit," Diana cursed softly and typed furiously on her computer. "Rhodes is nowhere in our database. Ms Hall, why don't you send me the names you found in the Haven Island database? I'll run a full background check."

"Sending," Olivia breathed. "Is Lucas in danger now?"

"Not necessarily," 47 grumbled, staring at the laptop. "The Constant is gone. Grey's been here almost two years and hasn't been moved in or infiltrated by anyone."

"Can you be sure of that?" Diana echoed as she continued to type heatedly.

"Very sure."

"Definitely sure," Olivia interjected. "Lucas was super drunk, he would have blabbed sooner or later. He only ever drank that amount of alcohol on his own in the past. For good reason, that is. You two were really cute, by the way, 47."

Diana stopped typing. "What happened there?"

"We were drunk," 47 sighed, massaging his nasal bridge. Olivia desperately needed to learn to keep things to herself. The next moment, 47 wondered why he was uncomfortable telling Diana about the evening. Or to let anyone know about the kiss at all.

"You've been drinking, 47? You know that can be dangerous."

Diana's usual rebuke was mild, however, as she immediately went back to typing. In the end, they had to postpone the conversation as both Diana and Olivia set about further research. 47, meanwhile, was told to stay calm and not let anything show. In particular, he should keep his distance from Rhodes, as it was not certain to what extent he was still of the old breed or would bow to the new era of Diana Burnwood.

47 allowed himself a little shopping tour in the afternoon and bought some clothes. Normal clothes from normal shops. However, after checking the seventh jumper in a shop for its materials and again coming across only polyester and acrylic, he snorted out in exertion and took a taxi into town. There he shopped in the usual luxury shops, but made sure that no brand was visible.

A little exhausted - probably the after-effects of the alcohol after all? - he returned to his flat to find that he had left his prepaid mobile phone on the kitchen counter. When he turned on the screen, he saw two messages from Lucas.

_"Hey Tobias_ _👋_ _I hope you're well and still got home safely? I wanted to thank you again for the nice evening and hope I didn't scare you off... Maybe you'd like to meet up with me again. To eat noodles?_ _☺_ _"_

Right after that, about 20 minutes later:

_"I just remembered that you might want to go to the zoo on Friday_ _🐒_ _I would be very happy if you came, but I can also understand if you don't have time. Just give me a shout and I'll let the nursery know_ _🙂_ _"_

Both messages read with a very strong impact from Rhodes’s daughter. 47 sat down on the sofa with a sigh.

"They had a long discussion about whether or not Lucas should send you a heart along," Olivia cut in, nuzzling 47's ear. He'd still had his Bluetooth headset in. Apparently, she was eating something in the background. "Lucas was embarrassed because he couldn't remember if he overstepped a boundary. It's actually really sweet when I forget who you two actually are for a second."

47 closed his eyes for a moment. Normally he had other things in his mind. He missed cleaning his weapons. And using his weapons. "Thank you for pointing that out. Maybe you'll stay in the background a bit more again after all."

Olivia laughed then. "Are you embarrassed too? Oh God, who would have thought I'd still find two old men cute."

"'Old' is a very broad term."

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, smacking the microphone. She was probably eating something breaded. It crunched in her mouth too. "Are you going Friday?"

"I think so."

"I'll write him back then. Though I have a feeling I probably write to that Zahra instead."

Before 47 could say anything, he heard Olivia type and the text appear on his phone.

_"I really enjoyed it too. I took Friday off, so I'll be happy to come to the zoo with you. Olivia will come with me another time then."_

Here she interrupted briefly with a comment, "I really want to go to the zoo with him sometime. I think it's quite funny with him. When I was a kid, he used to read to me and do the voices of the characters. I'm sure he's good at imitating animals too."

_"Tell me when and where to meet_ _❤_ _"_

"No heart."

Olivia groaned sadly and deleted the heart again. "You're both too stiff."

"It's inappropriate."

"It's totally appropriate for once! Hello? Have you forgotten that romantic kiss in the shallow snowfall?"

47 massaged his nasal bridge again. Followed by his temples. "Send it. I have to get back to the roof terrace now."

She let her tongue click against the roof of her mouth and sent the message to Lucas. Finally, she sighed and then hung up, "Roger that."

47 spent the evening on the roof terrace watching Lucas through his binoculars. He walked around his flat with a great deal of vigour and just threw away the packet of his ready meal. Afterwards he sat down on the sofa and talked on the phone for some time. Presumably with Zahra Rhodes. When he picked up the mobile phone and stared at it intently, it finally vibrated in 47's pocket.

A message from Lucas. _"that sounds great we're leaving at 10am on friday and we'll meet right outside the zoo entrance and I'll wait for you there. As most of the animals are hibernating not everything is open at the moment so we'll mainly be indoors. It's supposed to snow again too"_

For a brief moment 47 stepped away from the binoculars and typed a reply.

_"All right. Ten o'clock on Friday in front of the zoo entrance."_

When 47 looked through the binoculars again, Lucas was already smirking as he read the message. He typed a reply, which arrived at 47 only a short time later.

_"how long do you have that day? The excursion goes until 2pm at the most the kids don't feel like going any longer. After that we could go out for something to eat?"_

Lucas nibbled his nails and stared down the mobile phone screen. 47 took a little time to reply, but wrote back more quickly than he had intended.

_"Yeah, I'll find a restaurant where we can go for noodles. I'll book a table for 3pm."_

He was surprised Olivia hadn't intervened yet. Lucas didn't seem to mind the dry manner of 47's messages, but grinned ear to ear.

_"perfect thank you. Can’t wait to see you again"_

47 didn't know what to say in reply, so he put the phone down again. Eventually it vibrated again, forcing him to pick it up.

Olivia: _"Answer ‘Can’t wait to see you too’ or something."_

With a soft sigh, 47 typed a final message to Lucas with his cold fingers.

_"I'm really looking forward too. See you on Friday."_

And as if Olivia had just been waiting for 47's reply to elicit just that reaction, another emoji came from Lucas:

_„_ _❤_ _“_

Finally, Lucas exercised in front of the TV for a few minutes. After a few push-ups and sit-ups, he left the living room and seemed to go to sleep. 10pm on the dot.

Although 47 would have liked to go to bed too, he packed up his things and took a taxi to the hospital that had admitted Lucas at that time. The therapist he was supposed to have been seeing every other week for almost 1.5 years was also stationed in the outpatient clinic. Unfortunately, she was old school and traditionally had her notes on paper and not on a computer. So, 47 was forced to break into the hospital and pick out the file by hand.

It was a piece of cake to get into the outpatient department. Through the staff entrance, disguised as an orderly, he got pretty much everywhere. He got into the therapist's office without any obstacles with his lockpick. Finally, with a tiny flashlight, he searched the large filing cabinets for Luca's file. When he found it, he took out the contents and put in blank printer paper instead. Since Lucas no longer went to therapy, the records were probably just for archiving. No one would notice so quickly that sheets of paper were missing.

With quick steps, he left the hospital and drove to his flat. Once there, he made himself some tea and sat down at the living room table at the file. The first sheet was a mere data sheet with personal information. Male, white, 57 years old and Argentinian. Here 47 had to smile. Why did Lucas choose Argentina as his origin? Maybe he liked the country.

The next page began with a terrible handwriting that 47 could hardly decipher. It resembled shorthand. In the end, however, it was just griffonage.

Lucas reported pain in his head during the first sessions and that he did not sleep well. He kept dreaming about being shot. When he did, he was often surrounded by black figures who forced him to kill himself. 47 quietly released air from his nose as he read about Luca's dreams. So, he remembered more than he thought. The therapist of course interpreted it as some kind of pressure of society that made him do it.

He had difficulty coping with only one eye. He ran into furniture and had fallen down more often. His stomach was ruptured and needed stitches, so he had to go on a diet for a while. Meanwhile, his face was still disfigured by the countless bandages. He suffered from people avoiding him. An interesting piece of information, as 47 discovered. Lucas never seemed to pay much attention to other people's opinions.

The therapist partly wrote down her own assumptions. That he suffered from dissociative disorder or depression. At times she even suspected schizophrenia when Lucas reported remembering situations that could never have happened. For example, Cobb's murder. Or the other Providence murders. The word Providence, however, was nowhere to be found. His amnesia was viewed critically by the therapist.

She had the opinion that Lucas did not suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or could not remember because of the accident. In a subsequent paper, a neurologist also suggested that memory loss due to injury to the prefrontal cortex would not lead to selective amnesia. A change in personality would have been more likely.

Lucas seemed to feel better at each session. When he got the prosthesis, he went straight to the kindergarten management with Zahra and introduced himself. They accepted him on the premise that he would do some further training. Over the next few weeks, he spent weekends at a training centre where he met many new people. He found a love for children and animals. He often lamented that he would like to get a dog, but as some children had allergies, he could not take the dog with him. Leaving the dog alone at home in the flat was considered animal cruelty to him.

The question of a partnership came up often, but Lucas never seemed to answer the question properly. He was not interested in such things and would refrain from those for the time being. The therapist did advise him to get involved with at least a handful of people, but Lucas negated. As long as he didn't know who he really was, he thought it was dangerous to get into more intense contact with other people. Next to the remark was a thick question mark from the therapist.

Lucas described dreams and memories from 47. A big man with guns had been at his side. He had also grown up with him. In an institution. The therapist seemed convinced that Lucas had grown up in an orphanage, which was remotely true. In addition, he also described Olivia: a child he had cared for. However, he could not remember the child's name and whether it had been his own.

The last few pages were just tales of Lucas now slowly settling into the new life and enjoying working with children. Nevertheless, he was missing something. Therefore, he complained about an inner emptiness that constantly accompanied him. The urge to do something was in his bones and he didn't know what it was. Finally came the last pages of the file, which consisted only of a series of drug listings. Lucas had been given a series of antidepressants, but he probably stopped taking them a year ago.

47 leaned back on the sofa and stared out the window wall outside. The urge grew in him to see Lucas and finally give him some clarity. About himself and his past. But he didn't know how. Finally, he put the file aside and picked up his mobile phone. But after staring at the display for several minutes, he put it away again.

He missed 6, his best friend with whom he had grown up. The man who had given him back his memory and had accompanied him in a very exciting time of change. All these years he had been with 47 and had not made himself known. But his eye was always on him. Just as 47 was now watching over him. Would they ever spend any time together again? With their memories?


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're going on another date and it gets more shippy 💕 And 47 gets a very special gift from Lucas 🐰

Friday came sooner than expected and 47 stood in front of his mirrored wardrobe again, thinking about what to wear. It was strange to be in one place for so long, he had to admit. It almost felt like home, because he rarely went to a place for longer than necessary. And that was never longer than two or three days. There was always a certain risk. But for Lucas, he was willing to take it.

While he was getting ready, he thought about calling Diana. But somehow the plan faded further and further into oblivion until he disappeared out the front door. The work phone was still on the kitchen table.

Smelling good and wearing a casual white shirt with dark blue trousers, he made his way to the zoo. The taxi drove him right to the front door, where he saw a horde of 6–10-year-old children standing. In between, several adults were talking to them. Among them was Lucas.

He was standing in front of the door in his black coat and a thick scarf, talking to a group of boys. His folded arms suggested that he had probably been standing outside for a while and was beginning to feel cold. 47 looked at the clock. It was exactly 10 o'clock.

When Lucas saw him in the corner of his eye, he immediately smiled in 47's direction. The children instantly turned to 47 and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Tobias, hi," Lucas greeted him hesitantly, keeping his distance. His arms remained crossed and looked somewhat forbidding. But his smile suggested something quite different. Zahra Rhodes, of course, joined them only moments later.

"Look who's here," she laughed, nudging 47 in the arm. "Lucas already said you were coming. I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks for inviting me," 47 said politely, though firmly. All the kids around him made him nervous. The presence of Lucas was the only bright spot.

"Not at all, it goes without saying that Lucas can bring his _friend_." With that, she winked in Lucas’s direction and turned on her heel. Her broad grin clearly showed that she knew more than she was pretending.

Only hesitantly did Lucas come to 47's side. "Sorry... She bought the tickets. I had to let her in on it."

"No problem."

Lucas then handed him a paper card. "We're going in now. The kids will get a quick briefing, but then we're free to move around. Is that okay?"

47 nodded and accepted the card. "How much was the ticket?"

"An invitation to dinner later," Lucas flirted quite expertly. His slightly nervous manner and rapid enunciation indicated that he had rehearsed the sentence beforehand.

"All right."

In fact, the children were getting an introduction from the educators while Lucas stood rather quietly by. Most were not listening; the others were already looking curiously into the hall. The zoo had several special exhibitions that the children were supposed to see. The outdoor enclosure was closed so far, so it was decided not to go out. It took almost half an hour for all the children to hand in their jackets in the cloakroom. Lucas looked apologetically in 47's direction several times, but he just stood passively by and watched what was happening.

Lucas helped some children out of their jackets and talked lovingly to them. One girl did not want to leave his side and kept holding his hand, but was forced to let go since she was assigned to another educator. Finally, all the children had been divided into groups. Each group was accompanied by an educator. Lucas didn't have a group of his own, but joined one that was a little larger and eventually beckoned 47 to join him.

"We'll accompany Joy with her group. I just need to keep an eye on the kids here and there to make sure no one jumps into an enclosure."

They walked together through the corridors until they reached the first hall with aquatic animals. The children immediately ran to the seal enclosure. The educator probably had no deeper interest in going together with Lucas and 47, so they had enough space around their waists. There were hardly any other visitors at the zoo.

"At that time, many animals are hibernating. That's why it's only open inside," Lucas explained, putting his hands in his trouser pockets. To 47's surprise, he wasn't wearing a black T-shirt again, but a black turtleneck. It looked freshly bought. "Some children couldn't come today either because they have an allergy to animal hair. That's why I got a free run, so to speak."

Lucas laughed softly and avoided eye contact. He pretended to watch the children. "I see," was all 47 had to say to that. He didn't even know why he was actually there. A zoo was not a good place to relive old memories. He didn't like children. He liked animals, but not to the extent that he would want to look at them in a zoo. His presence wasn’t necessary. And yet – he was there.

"Do you want to walk around for a bit? We don't necessarily have to stay with Joy. She seems to have everything under control," Lucas suggested, seeking eye contact for the first time in minutes. 47 just nodded.

Lucas quickly went to his colleague and informed her that they were breaking away from the group. Joy must have agreed and waved after the two. The children were only interested in the seals.

They strolled silently through the aisles and observed the animals behind the glass panes. It was a little darker in the underwater world. Light effects on the hallway gave a surreal underwater effect. Small sharks and large rays swam past the glass panes. Children watched in amazement and gossiped about the strange shapes.

Lucas and he also stopped in front of a pane. The children were loud, but quiet enough for Lucas to speak in a whispering voice to 47. "I hope I didn't talk you into this and you're not bored."

Their arms touched. But Lucas had his hands in his trouser pockets. 47 stared at the other side of the glass, where small fish swam in a school around a ray. "I haven't been to a zoo in a long time."

The last time he'd had to kill a keeper. For that, as a doctor, he had broken into the giraffe enclosure and thrown him off the feeding trough. But that was a good 10 years ago. And 47 hadn't seen a zoo since then.

Lucas looked at 47, who didn't take his eyes off the glass. But in the reflection, he could see Lucas’s curious gaze with a soft smile on his lips.

"I'm not sure why a man like you would bother with me, but I'm glad. You've been a real bright spot for a long time."

47 turned his head a little towards Lucas but didn't look at him. "Why wouldn't I put up with you?"

Lucas pulled up a shoulder. "I'm an old fart. And a nursery teacher. Pretty boring, isn't it?"

That made 47 grin. "I'm old too. Olivia told me just the other day."

Immediately Lucas laughed out loud. Despite his deep voice, it seemed heartfelt. "She seems like a real sweetheart."

"She is. You'll like her." With that, 47 turned his head back to the aquarium. Another group made its way through the hallway. In the reflection he could see Luca's gaze again as he eyed 47 with a satisfied smile.

"If she's anything like you, I'll love her."

Thank God for a child starting to cry immediately after Lucas finished his sentence, or 47 would have been in trouble again to answer adequately. Lucas turned around, startled, and rushed to the scene of the accident. A child had slipped and hit his head on a sign. The crying was worse than the wound, however, which was not visible at all. Lucas knelt by the child anyway and rubbed his back. Another educator joined him and inspected the head.

47 felt his phone vibrating in his pants. A message from Olivia.

_“He’s hauling out some big guns. Make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. Better clear things up, right?”_

Grumbling, he put the phone away again. Clarification was easier said than done. When Lucas approached 47 again, he smiled apologetically.

"Nothing happened..."

"Good, an ambulance call would certainly have tarnished the trip."

The macabre remark elicited a giggle from Lucas. "Would have added that certain dash to the trip." But his grin immediately fell from his face. "Well... good for the girl nothing happened. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to her. It would have just been... something different. You know."

"I understand." Better than anyone else probably.

Before an uncomfortable silence could fall, Lucas grabbed 47's arm, hooked it, and led him down another hallway. "Let's go see the birds. They're always nice, actually."

They walked leisurely through the various halls until they came to a very leafy area. The chirping of birds could already be clearly heard at the entrance. It was relatively warm in the hall, so many visitors took off their scarves and other warm clothing.

"Almost gives you spring fever," Lucas noted, walking 47 through the narrow aisles. The birds were flying freely so far, with a few exceptions, which flew in large detached cages.

"I had a bird once," 47 began to tell, though he didn't know why Lucas should know that.

"Yeah? What kind?"

"A canary."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "They’re beautiful birds. Do you have any animals at the moment?"

"No."

"Work doesn't allow it like that, does it?"

47 nodded.

Then Lucas nodded too. "Yes... the same with me. I'd like to have a dog, but I can't leave him alone all day."

47 could remember the passage in his files. The therapist had had this conversation with him before. Lucas seemed to be slowly thawing.

They wandered through the bird paradise until they came to another green area where there was a butterfly exhibition. Colourful butterflies, large and small, fluttered through the air. Lucas seemed to be delighted.

"I see you like butterflies," 47 observed, unable to suppress a grin. Lucas’s childlike enthusiasm was definitely something 47 was new to. So was the love of children. And the perpetual optimism that seemed to have a dark core deep inside him.

"They are fantastic animals. Their metamorphosis is something very impressive."

47 could only agree. Lucas still had his arm hooked to him. At a fork in the road, Lucas wanted to go in a different direction than 47, so he grabbed his hand. Needless to say, he didn't let go of it.

"They even planted exotic flowers, look," he said, walking towards one particular hibiscus cross. Carefully, he felt the petals and inspected them. "I've been here so many times, but I haven't really been able to enjoy the exhibition until now."

"The children probably don't make it any easier."

Lucas chuckled. "Definitely not." As he turned to 47, his breath caught. He stared at 47's head. "Don't move," he whispered, slowly releasing 47's hand. He took out his mobile phone in return.

"Is there a butterfly sitting on my head?"

Nodding wildly, Lucas confirmed 47's guess and carefully took a picture. As he did so, 47 watched a butterfly settle on Grey's hair.

Carefully, he reached for Lucas’s waist and pulled him closer. He took the phone from Lucas’s hand and opened the selfie camera. It took Lucas a few moments to understand what 47 wanted. When he looked into the camera, he also recognised the butterfly on his head.

"I feel like a Disney princess," he admitted openly, looking admiringly into the camera. Since 47 couldn't stretch his finger far enough, Lucas tapped the release button and took a selfie of the two of them. With butterflies on their heads.

At that moment, another butterfly sat down on the phone. 47 immediately paused in his movement.

"They seem to like us," Lucas whispered, still standing close to 47. "Maybe it's your perfume. You smell very nice."

"Maybe," 47 murmured, slowly lowering his hand. His eyes fixed on the butterfly that wouldn't go off the phone. But he didn’t want to use brute force to make it fly away.

Luca's stubble scratched his cheek a little again. Curious, he turned to his friend who had his nose deep in 47's collar.

"Are you trying to guess the scent?", 47 teased him, but remained quiet.

"Mmm," Lucas growled, running both hands around 47's waist. "Something expensive, right?"

"Close."

Lucas laughed softly and leaned back a little again to look into 47's eyes. As 47 had once again turned into a pillar of salt, Lucas became a little uncertain, but continued to hug him. The tip of his nose almost touched 47's. His prosthetic eye couldn't quite move with it, so he had to squint again. 47 had to admit it was as amusing as it was charming.

"Please tell me when I cross a line."

"You've been crossing every line I've ever set for myself for days."

Instantly the smile slipped from Luca's face. His hands slowly disengaged from his waist. "You need to tell me something like that right away. I don't want it to be awkward for you. I just thought... we get along so well and there's definitely something that makes you different from the others. But if I read more into it than necessary-"

47 felt his phone vibrating wildly in his pocket. Meanwhile, two more butterflies had settled on Luca's hair. One of them almost slid onto his shoulder. Probably 47 was just as full of butterflies. He definitely needed to change perfume.

Lucas was talking himself into a frenzy and Olivia was probably freaking out on the other side of the world when she heard 47's response about boundaries. To avoid further damage, 47 just did what he saw in movies. It has always worked in them, so it would probably work now too. He kissed Lucas.

His friend stopped talking, his hands came back to 47's waist and he closed his eyes. Just at the moment 47 had decided to intervene, regret came bubbling up his spine. Olivia had advised him to clear up the situation. Instead, he only made it worse.

But Lucas seemed to be enjoying every moment. He pressed himself against 47 and let himself be kissed. At some point, 47 closed his eyes too. A butterfly on Lucas’s hair came very close to his eyeballs. Several minutes passed during which they just stood amidst vegetation, surrounded by butterflies and kissed softly.

At some point they were rudely torn from their ideal world. Zahra Rhodes hissed to the two from a corner. "Hey, _hey_ you two! Enough, my group is coming through here now! Save it for later!"

With that, she left. Lucas and 47 moved away from another. The butterflies flew off as well. A little embarrassed, Lucas took back his phone and put it back in his pocket. "Good thing Zahra saw us and not a kid."

"Would that be so bad?"

"Not really," Lucas admitted, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "But they're at that age where they ask a lot of questions. And I honestly don't see it as my responsibility to explain to them why I tried to eat you in the butterfly exhibition."

"Touché," 47 agreed and smiled at the joke.

"Come on," Lucas finally breathed, reaching for 47's hand. "Let's keep walking. We haven't even begun to see everything."

They walked through more worlds where they encountered several groups of children. Lucas sometimes chatted with an educator while 47 looked at animals. In a spare minute, he pulled out his mobile and saw that Olivia had tried to call him. He would call her back in the evening.

In between, when there were no children around, Lucas would come closer and demand more kisses. They were far more mundane and more like a fleeting touch, but it let 47 know clearly that he had crossed the magical boundary of friendship with his decision to make a move on Lucas. They were probably now officially a couple. Or unofficially - Diana didn't know about it yet. Olivia would surely be awaiting confirmation as well.

In the end, however, these were all achievements that had not been on 47's list. Everything went in a completely different direction than originally planned.

Towards the end of the zoo visit, the children were allowed into the souvenir shop. Lucas and 47 also strolled through the aisles. Lots of children's toys and useless stuff. Way too expensive, of course. 47 looked disinterestedly through the shelves. Lucas, on the other hand, stopped at a shelf and reached for a soft toy. It was a grey rabbit.

"A stuffed animal?" 47 asked in wonder, stepping closer to his friend. Lucas examined the soft toy and smiled at it.

"It's really soft," he said, stroking the rabbit's little head. "And do you know what his name is? Look."

With that, he held up the little tag that was sewn onto the bunny's chest. Next to the brand of the stuffed animal, it said " _Lukas_ " underneath.

"With a K. But he's even grey," Lucas chuckled, looking expectantly at 47.

He looked at the rabbit for a while. Then at Lucas. Old memories came up as he watched him holding the stuffed animal like a real rabbit and showed it to 47. "I had a rabbit once. A white one, though."

Lucas’s eyes widened. He quickly turned around, apparently looking for a white stuffed animal. But 47 was already reaching for the grey rabbit.

"It's cute." At that, he held it like the rabbit from his past. The stuffed animal was a little smaller and not nearly as heavy. But the memories, Lucas beside him, the bunny, stroking his little head as if it were a real bunny, made 47's heart ache.

Lucas came a little closer to 47 and whispered in his ear. "Give it back to me."

47 handed the stuffed animal back to his friend with a rather sad face, who took it with a big grin. He carried it in his arms away from 47. He didn't quite understand what Lucas was up to when he saw him at the checkout with some kids. They all asked about the rabbit, but Lucas just kept shaking his head and held it away from small children's hands.

After buying a far too expensive stuffed animal and standing at the cloakroom to get their coats back, Lucas pushed the bag towards 47. "For you."

Lucas, who had just gifted him a bunny _again_ , smiled happily as 47 put a hand in the bag and petted the bunny. 47 murmured a soft "Thank you."

Quickly Lucas looked around furtively and took the chance to give 47 a quick kiss on the cheek. Then he reached for his jacket and got dressed.


	9. 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rather short chapter, sorry! But I hope you enjoy it nevertheless 🐰  
> Thank you all sooo much for reading and commenting 💕💕💕

Eventually they all left the zoo. Some parents were already standing in front of the entrance to greet their children.

It was already shortly before 3pm. "Go ahead, I know you have a lot to do today," Zahra Rhodes chirped, grinning broadly. "Next time I catch you, you'll have to buy me a beer. One each."

"Noted," Lucas laughed and took 47's hand with no shame whatsoever. Together they trudged through the snow away from the children. "Where's the restaurant?"

"We need a taxi." 47 pulled out his mobile phone. Olivia, meanwhile, had called again. Should he call her back? Maybe in the taxi.

But when they were both in the taxi and 47 had given the address through, Lucas’s lips were magically on his the whole way, so he was unable to make a call.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Lucas almost choked. "Here?"

Somewhat puzzled, 47 blinked a few times. He turned to the restaurant to make sure he had chosen the desired place and that the taxi driver had taken them to the correct address. When everything was in order he concluded: "Yes."

"Tobias, this is way too expensive." Lucas reached for 47's hand. "Are you sure you want to go in there with me?"

"You know the place?"

Lucas eyed the signage and pressed his lips together. "Zahra's father likes to go here. With his fellow hunters."

47 listened closely. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, they all have lots of money. I went with them once. Zahra insisted. It was her birthday. Well... I think it's great when we go there, but it's very, very fancy and... I don't know if I have the manners to eat in an establishment like that."

"I'm sure you know how to use a knife and fork," 47 assured him, pulling his friend towards the entrance. "If you don't like it, we can go somewhere else afterwards." But 47 swore he would jump off the roof before eating a microwave meal.

The restaurant was indeed very posh and well furnished. 47 liked it, while Lucas looked around uncomfortably. When they were brought to the table and sat down, the waiter came with the menu. 47 knew what Lucas needed for a case like this.

"A bottle of Pinot Noir, please," 47 ordered before the waiter could even ask. Lucas grinned cautiously as he stuck his nose into the menu.

In the end, they both ordered a pasta dish. That was what they were there for, after all.

Lucas sipped his wine cautiously and kept looking around furtively. Other customers, dressed much more elegantly, sat a few tables away and chatted quietly while soft jazz music came from the speakers.

"Did you locate the escape routes already?" 47 joked dryly, earning a pained look.

"Very funny. But if I can make a wish, maybe next time it'll be a little less... fancy."

"Noted." 47 drank his wine and enjoyed every second of sitting on the comfortable chair in the midst of a calm atmosphere. When his mobile vibrated, however, his whole body tensed. Even Lucas heard the vibration.

"Go ahead and answer it," Lucas said, already smiling. "I promise not to use any of the localised emergency exits."

That made even 47 grin. "Good, I'll see you in a minute."

With that he got up and went out into the cold again. This time it was just a number without a name. So, no Olivia. With an inscrutable face, he answered it.

"47, it's me. Diana," the familiar voice answered.

"Why are you calling on this phone?"

"You're not answering your other one. I'm guessing you still have it in the flat."

47 closed his eyes disappointed in himself. "That may be... I'm sorry."

"Ms Hall gave me this number. She's been trying to reach you for hours. Where are you right now?"

In fact, he felt a slight shame creep up his spine. "In a restaurant. With Grey."

Diana sighed. "As much as I hate to break your date, there's bad news."

Immediately, 47 tensed. "It's about Rhodes, right?"

"Yes. Ms Hall forwarded me the old data from Haven. There I was able to identify several links to Hugh Rhodes. Contrary to expectations, Hugh Rhodes is indeed his real name, but he used aliases to carry out several transactions in Providence's name. Since the Constant was eliminated, he has remained undercover and let essential business with his aliases rest. In fact, this confirms your suspicions: Mr Rhodes received information from Mr Edwards to look for survivors in the forest. He knew you were alive. But he wanted to make sure Mr Grey was dead."

"So Rhodes was acting on behalf of Providence. His hunting partner probably did as well."

"Correct. Both were middlemen for Providence. Since Providence doesn't like to throw away 'useful tools’, he ordered Rhodes to take Mr Grey to a hospital. There he underwent emergency surgery and was eventually patched up."

"Then why didn't they infiltrate him in the first place? We know Grey is no agent right now. If Grey was a Providence associate, he would have already had several opportunities to attack me."

"Probably for the same reason we didn't bring him in right away: they weren't sure how much he could remember of his training. And when they found that Mr Grey had no memory at all and needed special attention, they let him recover first. Presumably the death of the Constant also played an important role. Without further instructions, Mr Rhodes may have held back. He seems to murder animals, but so far, no humans. He's probably letting someone else do the dirty work."

47 looked through the glass into the restaurant. Lucas was pouring himself more wine and typing away on his mobile phone. "What are the next steps?"

"He needs to remember, 47. I know you wanted to take it slow, but the tide has turned. We don't know how far Mr Rhodes is involved in this. He'll be next on the list. We need to make sure he doesn't do any more missions for former Providence members. His loyalties certainly don't lie with me. I haven't heard from the man in two years."

"We'll eat first. Then I will ask him to come to my flat. I'll instruct him there then."

"Good, be careful and make sure Mr Grey doesn't use the information to our disadvantage."

47 watched their food being brought to the table. Lucas smiled at the waiter, thanked him and put the phone away. He finally politely waited for 47. "I'm not going to kill him."

Diana sighed. "Of course not. Make it... safe in some other way."

It was probably the first time 47 would have preferred not to carry out Diana's instructions. This was about Lucas, not anyone he didn't know. Without saying anything, he hung up and walked with quick steps back into the restaurant. Lucas stared absently at his noodles.

"I’m sorry," 47 said and sat back down in his seat. "My boss doesn't quite understand the principle of holidays."

That made Lucas smile again. "Not an emergency, I hope?"

"Not quite. I'll be happy to explain more later."

Lucas nodded and picked up the cutlery. "The food looks really good, by the way."

47 did likewise. "I hope it also tastes good."

The meal felt like a last meal. The last few hours 47 could enjoy the quiet atmosphere of a date with his kindergartener. Normal life, as Lucas had always described it, didn't feel so bad after all. Especially not when you could share it with someone. In the year 47 had been on his own, trying to live as normally as possible, he had failed because he had no goal in mind. Now he had a goal and yet it was futile because it had nothing to do with the current situation 47 and Lucas were in. In the beginning, the agent had convinced himself that he was doing all this to get closer to Lucas Grey, who was so strange and yet so familiar. But playing Disney princesses in a butterfly exhibit and making out like two teenagers in the back seat of a taxi had nothing even remotely to do with his set goal of getting Lucas back on the team.

They talked about trivial things and 47 enjoyed every moment. When they were done, Lucas carefully slid his hand across the table and touched 47's index finger. He carefully ran his finger over 47's fingernail, looking happily at his friend. A careful gesture that nevertheless radiated a lot of love.

47 paid the bill, although Lucas was against it and wanted to pay at least half. He lost the argument and was banished to the street until 47 was finished. Outside, Lucas came straight up to 47 and kissed him gently on the lips.

"Thank you for inviting me."

"You're welcome."

Lucas pressed his lips together. "I guess you'll want to go home now. Olivia's probably waiting."

"You're welcome to come along," 47 suggested, trying to phrase it with as little sexual innuendo as possible. "I've taken the day off. So if you're still free, we can talk some more at my place."

Luca's eyes widened for a moment. He took a breath but said nothing. Finally, he struggled with himself whether he should really come along. 47 used the silence to express that they were not going to have sex.

"I have no intention of getting you into bed."

The plump statement seemed to reassure Lucas. "Okay... Yeah, because... even though our connection is surprisingly enormously strong, we haven't known each other that long and I don't want this to be anything like a one-night stand."

"It won't," 47 assured him, taking Luca's hand. "We're just talking. I don't have any alcohol in the house either."

Lucas let himself be pulled to a taxi rank. He chuckled. "So much for not getting me drunk and willing."

"Exactly. You need to stay sober."

"I wouldn't quite call myself sober after half a bottle of wine, but okay."

The taxi ride was enormously depressing. 47 didn't know how he was going to tackle it the right way. Lucas sat unsuspectingly beside him, looking out the window. To reassure himself, 47 put a hand in the bag from the zoo and patted Lukas the bunny.

As they arrived and stepped into a marbled lift, Lucas’s lips escaped a long sigh. "You dine fancy, you dress fancy. I should have known you live poshly too."

"Why do you have such an aversion to luxury?"

Lucas hunched his shoulders and reached for 47's hand at the same time. He leaned against his friend while looking in the mirror, still maintaining eye contact. "Luxuries are usually possessed by people with a lot of influence. They are stuck-up and feel superior. I can't really get along with that kind of attitude."

47 squeezed Luca's hand a tiny bit tighter. The statement reminded him a lot of 6. "As long as you don't think I'm stuck up and arrogant too, it’s fine."

Lucas smiled and looked intently at 47 through the mirror. "So far, no. Right now, you're still a closed book to me. But I'm sure that will change in the near future."

The doors of the lift opened. "I think so too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... a storm is approaching 🙈


	10. 10

When Lucas entered the flat, he was amazed. "Wow, this is a palace!"

He slipped off his shoes and walked admiringly through the large room, which was both living room and kitchen. 47 took his coat from him and hung it on the rack next to the front door. Meanwhile, Lucas went to the large wall of windows and looked at the outside world.

"You've got quite a view. Crazy. My little flat really can't compete with that," he joked, continuing to look around. "Where's Olivia?"

"Not here," 47 replied, taking a deep breath. Slowly, he reached for his Silverballer and took the safety off. Lucas was still looking around curiously. He peeked into the bathroom; the door was wide open. Right next to it was 47's bedroom. The door was also open, so Lucas could look into it. He quickly realised that there were no other rooms.

"Doesn't... Olivia have any toys? Or her own room?" he asked uncertainly, looking around further. He didn't notice 47 with his gun standing near the kitchen counter.

Finally, he walked over to the sofa and eyed the living area again. His eyes fell on the pile of papers on the small table.

"Are those... _my_ files? From the hospital? When I was in therapy?" he breathed in horror and reached for a sheet. He read the first few lines and finally turned around. Of course, he was startled to see 47 with the gun and dropped the sheet. Immediately he staggered back a small step but bumped into the living room table, forcing him to stop.

"What the hell? What are you doing?" he asked frantically, eyeing 47, who was standing by the kitchen island with a good deal of distance between him and the gun resting calmly on the counter.

"I’m your friend. I don't want to hurt you. You can believe that."

But Lucas didn't look like he believed 47. "You have a gun on you, Tobias."

"I always have a gun on me."

Lucas’s face immediately turned pale. "When we joked about hitmen... you weren't joking, were you? You meant every word."

47 didn't know how to answer that. Because yes, it hadn't been a joke. But to confirm Lucas in his assumption now seemed to have been an unwise move. Without waiting for an answer, Lucas took a deep breath and carefully took a few steps to the side, climbing further behind the sofa.

"You're on a mission to kill me, aren't you?"

"No. If it had been my mission, you'd be dead by now."

"Oh God, you're a hitman," Lucas breathed, looking down at the floor in shock. "I'm dating a hitman..."

"Strictly speaking, you are one too," 47 tried to steer the subject in the right direction, but Lucas didn't seem to take the hint.

"I'm sorry, _what_? Because I educate children, I'm also a hitman? Have you been hired by the people of this anti-pedagogy?"

"No." 47 didn't even know who that was supposed to be.

Luca's hands began to shake. But his voice still sounded firm. "If I'm not here so you can kill me, why do you have a gun in your hand?"

"For safety."

"Safety? Mine or yours? Because I can assure you that I'm not a threat. Unless you feel threatened by rambling."

47 pushed the gun a few inches away from him; hoping Lucas would feel less threatened. "You're capable of more than you think. You can't remember your past. But I know it. And I'd like to give it back to you."

Lucas drew in a sharp breath. He blinked several times, as if trying to wake up from a dream. But when nothing happened after several minutes, he looked resignedly at 47. "Why didn't you say who you were and that we knew each other from the beginning?"

"I had to make sure first that you weren't working for someone else and that I could trust you. After everything that happened, it was within the realm of possibility."

Lucas chuckled darkly then. "I work for a kindergarten. What makes you think I'm a threat...?"

"You weren't always a kindergartener; you were a soldier who worked for various employers until finally becoming a shadow client to bring down an organisation. Actually, you're a combat-trained, genetically-engineered human who was born in Romania and held captive in an institution for 25 years. Just like me."

Lucas didn't say anything more, just raised his eyebrows. 47 just kept talking, hoping the memories would come back to Lucas the more he learned.

"We both grew up together and committed a lot of murders in the name of Providence. It was what we were trained to do. To be perfect killers."

"Providence," Lucas repeated, finally looking down at the floor. "Zahra's father... Had asked me once if I knew of an organisation by that name. At the very beginning... At the hospital."

An important piece of information Lucas was sharing there. "He's one of them. He probably got the order to look for you in the forest to help you survive. They wanted to use you for their own purposes. Rhodes is a danger. Therefore, he must be eliminated soon."

Immediately Lucas looked up. "Excuse me, what? You want to kill a person just because he belongs to an organisation? He saved my life, how bad can someone like that be?"

"He saved your life on the orders of Constant Arthur Edwards. He and his organisation have caused us a lot of harm. You and I made a pact to destroy them all. Don't you remember?" 47 grasped at any opportunity that came his way. So he raised his left hand and showed Lucas the inside. "You have the exact same scar. That was our promise to take down Providence."

Lucas stared at 47's hand. He didn't need to look at his own hand. He knew he had the same scar. "We had a promise to kill people? Even though that's exactly what we condemned?"

"Sometimes violence is the only thing that helps."

Presumably Lucas would have liked to contradict, but he just pressed his lips together. His whole face turned grim. Suddenly he seemed to question not himself but 47's story. "It took you two years to find me?"

"I thought you were dead for two years," 47 breathed, feeling a certain resignation in his body. Lucas didn't remember. A bad sign. "It was only by chance that I found you. When I killed Mr Marsh."

"Oh, God," Lucas groaned, clutching his temple with a shaky hand. " _You_ killed him? Was he a member of this Providence too?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck... That is so fucked up. Honestly. Because of you, I had the police on my back!"

"Diana falsified the files. The police now suspect someone else."

"Diana? Who's Diana now?" Lucas echoed, shaking his head nervously. "Are you guys from another organisation?"

47 didn't know what else he could do to jog Lucas’s memory. He didn't seem to remember. And to someone not involved, of course, the story seemed enormously confusing.

"Diana has been my handler for many years. She is a good friend. To you, too."

"I don't know any Diana..." Lucas seemed to be getting more and more disappointed. "What about Olivia? There isn't an Olivia, is there?"

"Yes, there is an Olivia. She's not my daughter, though, and she's not three years old. She'll be thirty soon and she's more like your daughter."

"What, I have a daughter?" Lucas breathed in utter horror.

"She's not your biological one. You found her in Sierra Leone in 2002 and took her in. You've been working together against Providence ever since."

Lucas shook his head several times as if he had mutated into a wagging dachshund. "It all sounds like the story of a bad action movie. But, shit, I can't remember what it might really have been like..."

"6," 47 said firmly and took a few steps towards Lucas. He left the gun on the kitchen counter. "Your name is Subject 6, Lucas Grey is just an alias. Just like Tobias Rieper is not my real name. We didn't have names. Just numbers. Mine was 47, you must remember that."

Luca's light green eyes looked sadly into 47's blue ones. "47... That was the number you gave me at the very beginning."

"Right. I wanted to check if you could remember me."

47 took more steps closer. Lucas looked dejectedly at the ground. "I don't actually have a name? Just a number? I mean... isn’t that sad? And we grew up in a home that used us for contract killings? What the hell, I mean – Wow, I think I'm glad I _don't_ remember anything from that."

Before 47 could clarify that it was very much of need to remember, Lucas looked back up at him. His eyes were shining in the dim light.

"I knew that this perfect relationship with you had to have a catch. The instant connection between us couldn't have just be there. Now I know why we got along so well. Because we already knew each other."

47 stopped in his movements. "We knew each other. But not on the level we're on now."

Lucas suddenly smiled. "Really? What was our relationship?"

The agent felt himself digging himself further into a pit. "Friends... maybe brothers. Though we're not related. We’re genetically mutated after all. We don’t have parents."

Green eyes grew wetter. "So that was a lie too? Like Olivia, your profession, your background? Now the relationship too? Why did you keep from me who you were and then pretend to be interested in me? If everything you wanted… Like, yeah, with what intention are you telling me all this? I don't remember. I'm not an agent or a hitman like you. I'm a kindergarten teacher. No matter what my life was like before, I don't remember anything. This is my life now. What was the point in all of that?" With that, he gestured in the air.

"We want to get you back. You have to remember, 6. The longer you operate under this cover, the more dangerous it becomes. Not only for you, but also for those around you. You have had many enemies in the past. Some of them are already under the ground, others are still on the loose. I'm sure they can't wait to get their hands on you. Mr Rhodes is no exception."

Lucas closed his eyes and wiped his moist eyes, though he quickly regained his composure. "You know how silly that sounds, right? I don't want to know about that, Tobias. Or 47, I don't know what to call you now. I don't even know what will become of our relationship now. God, I was so happy." As quickly as the moisture had disappeared from his eyes, it came back. "Why did you ruin this? You must have noticed that I don't remember anything! Couldn't you have just let me think we were a great couple? In the end, you could still have broken up with me in like 1-2 months if you got bored of me. I mean, obviously, you can't force me to remember our terrible past. You could have just fooled me and we could have lived in a lie like the last few days."

The feeling that spread through 47 stung enormously in his chest. An unfamiliar and uncomfortable feeling. "We can't afford a suburban life, 6, even if I wanted to."

"Stop calling me 6, I'm not a number," he said grimly, finally walking towards 47 only to pass him by. "Maybe this is all a bad dream and I'll wake up tomorrow and remember we were at the zoo. Nothing more."

Before Lucas could pass him completely, 47 expertly grabbed his arm and tried to twist it to bring him down. Lucas reacted quickly and pushed 47's arm away, grabbing his shoulder in return. They lapsed into quick, rehearsed movements that clearly showed the good training both had suffered under. Eventually Lucas was able to break free and grabbed 47's gun from the counter before he could be drawn into another fight.

47 immediately stopped and stared down the barrel of his own gun. Lucas looked for a moment as if he would pull the trigger. The next moment he realised what he had done and looked distraught at the gun in his hands. "I- I'm so sorry," he stammered, carefully placing the gun back on the counter as if it could harm him just by existing.

"Your body remembers more than you do," 47 said, taking another few steps towards Lucas, but his friend immediately hopped away. "You're not a kindergartener. You're a well-trained soldier. Believe me, with that knowledge, you're the biggest danger to everyone. Especially in the kindergarten. You should come back. Here you can use your knowledge and skills adequately." After all, it was what 47 had discovered after being free for one year. He was meant to do his job. _They_ were meant to do this job.

"I just want to go home..." Lucas whispered into the otherwise quiet room, sniffling for the first time. "I almost would have preferred a one-night stand to this. It was my biggest fear when you asked me to come to your place even though you made it clear you didn’t want to get me into bed. But this? I don't want to go back to that world - it apparently cost me my life! I have a new one now. No one has found me in two years; no one will find me in the next few years either. Whoever should be looking for me: if even my supposedly closest friends have not found me, who will?"

Lucas walked with quick steps to the front door and reached for his coat. As he threw it on, he slipped on his shoes.

"Please don't go," 47 muttered, following Lucas to the door. "Give your past a chance."

Before Lucas walked out the door, he turned abruptly and looked demandingly into 47's eyes. "Give suburban life a chance. Let's pretend we're normal people. You and me. No guns and no murders. How dangerous can it be if two supposedly well-trained assassins live together?"

47 looked into his friend's eyes and tried to think of a solution. But he couldn't think of one. The whole plan was going down the drain. For a brief moment, 47 gave the idea a chance and thought of the last days. But he knew that the past would never rest. He had experienced it already once and he wasn’t willing to test his luck twice. "I can't."

Lucas pressed his lips together and nodded silently. A teardrop fell down his cheeks as he turned and disappeared into the stairwell. 47 did not follow him. Slowly he closed the front door.

His work mobile phone rang. He did not answer it. Then his prepaid mobile phone rang too, but 47 knew it wasn't Grey. So he didn't answer that either.

As if in a trance, he sat down on his sofa and put the bag from the zoo beside him. Carefully he pulled out the bunny and sat it on his lap. Almost lovingly, he put his hands on the soft fur and stared out the window. It had started to snow again. Only small, very fine flakes spread over the remaining snow cover.

Finally, his laptop turned on. But before Olivia or Diana could say anything, 47 pushed the screen down and pulled the power cable. If he had to, he would throw the thing out the window.

He didn't want to talk to anyone now. The words he had said had destroyed a relationship. His instinct to flee pushed him mentally into an uncomfortable state, wondering why it was not possible for him to live a suburban life. Yet he knew it wasn’t possible out of experience. Grey either had to come to him or not at all. Diana had spoken of the possibility that things might not turn out as they had hoped. In that case, 47 had to make sure Grey didn't do anything with the knowledge he now had. But how he was supposed to do that was unclear to him. If the order came in to eliminate him, he would refuse, that much was certain. He gave Diana enough credit, however, that she would not give him such an assignment. Rather to someone else. And that made the situation dangerous again.

47 had to find a way to bring Lucas back to him. The trust he had so carefully built up was now destroyed. It would not come back so easily. He had to make a new plan and approach the whole thing differently. Although he had been so careful and had put so much time into Lucas’s and his relationship, in the end it backfired. The time pressure had made him careless. But had there ever been a right time? In retrospect, no one would probably want to hear about his horrible past. 47 knew that he was not the rule but the exception, yet Lucas's reaction had surprised him. Now he sat alone in a quiet room and wondered why he shouldn't just push his luck again to start a new life with his friend.

Both mobile phones and the laptop remained silent. Neither Diana nor Olivia insisted on a briefing. They had probably been listening anyway. 47 spent the evening on the sofa, petting Lukas. In the end, he also spent the night on the sofa because he couldn't find the strength to go to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😬  
> I tried to put myself in Luca's shoes and think about how someone would react if they were given such heavy information. Especially because 47 approached the matter with little empathy (he has taken his past very calmly and hoped that Lucas would do the same)  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter even though the fluffy parts are over (for now)! But don't worry, I love happy endings 🤓


	11. 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter this time! And Olivia tries to save what can still be saved 🐰

The next morning was cloudy and grey. It had become warmer again and the snowflakes had turned into rain. 47 woke up on the sofa and stared out the window again. His stomach growled, but he did not feel like eating.

After spending a few more hours on the sofa, he eventually got up and took a shower. Then he made himself something to eat and sat down on the sofa again. Lukas, the bunny, accompanied him as far as possible.

Suddenly the world had become quiet again. A lot had happened in the last few days, it was loud and exciting. Now 47 felt the emptiness again he had also felt during the year he had been travelling alone. But the sting in his chest was new. It almost felt like Grey had shot himself in the head again and was now gone. Forever.

Around noon, he heard someone pounding on his front door. Quickly he jumped up and got his gun to point it at the intruder. Tensely he fixed the slowly opening door.

„47? It's us," Diana's soothing voice came through the crack in the door. 47 exhaled in relief and lowered his gun. "May we come in?"

"Who's we?" 47 enquired, moving to the door to open it fully. Diana and Olivia startled and jumped back a step.

"Hi," Olivia mumbled, looking like she had just crawled out of a basement she had locked herself in for several weeks. Presumably she had done exactly that.

"Come in," 47 mumbled and shuffled back into the flat. Resignedly, he put the gun back on the counter and dropped onto the sofa. Diana and Olivia entered the flat and closed the door.

"Smells pretty musty in here," Olivia whispered to Diana, already looking for a window she could open. "Probably didn’t open a window or anything since last night..."

Diana said nothing, just took a deep breath. Finally, she put down her handbag and coat to come to 47. She smoothed her skirt and sat down beside him at a distance. She immediately eyed the bunny on 47's lap.

"He's cute. Your bunny," she said like a mother trying to talk to a defiant child. But when there was no response from 47, who just stared out the window, she cleared her throat and wiped her presumably moist hands on her legs. "47, we are here because we believe that the venture with Mr Grey has gone in a direction that is not good for either of you. Mr Grey has chosen to stay here and I think we have to accept that decision."

Olivia opened a couple of windows and began to search the flat. 47 saw her in the reflection of the windows in front of him.

"He knows about his past now. And about Providence. Weren't it your words that we must stop the spread of this information?" 47 asked quietly and began to pet Lukas.

"Yes, that is correct. I will ask someone to keep an eye on Mr Grey until we can make sure he stays quiet. The way the conversation went yesterday, I assume he wants nothing more to do with his past. Denial is a very natural reaction."

47 was not stupid. Sending someone after Grey also meant elimination in an emergency. Where was the line between "behaving normally" and "being conspicuous"? He and Diana had often stretched the line themselves and bent it to their advantage.

"Are you both here to pick me up then?"

Olivia opened the fridge and looked in, disappointed. Closing it again and just taking a glass of water, she came over to Diana and 47. "I made the suggestion to Diana that I try to talk to him. She wasn't convinced, but she's still giving us the chance. You know. To have Lucas back with us."

Diana sighed softly and finally crossed her legs. Olivia just sat down on the white carpet.

"He doesn't remember you," 47 told her, continuing to pet Lukas’s head.

"Not yet. Maybe when he sees me. And he hears my voice. Right now, after all, he only knows me as little Olivia, who isn't so little after all."

"The idea behind this is that we give Mr Grey another chance to remember. As I've already told you, 47, a missing part in the brain is not as easy to compensate as a serum to which there happened to be an antiserum."

"But he remembers parts," 47 muttered, "It doesn't match. He told the therapist about me indirectly. About the situation in the forest. Individual elements still seem to be there. Grey described it like a word that's on the tip of his tongue that can't be spelled. I know that feeling. My past has felt the same way."

Both Diana and Olivia said nothing to this for the moment. Finally, Diana took another breath. "I can have the records from the hospital checked again just to be sure. Mr Rhodes approaching Mr Grey about Providence is not a good sign. Maybe he was just testing to see if Mr Grey could remember. Or maybe he was testing something else. We don't know to what extent the doctors treating Mr Grey at the time were infiltrated. Nursing staff in particular are difficult to find out, as shifts are changed without being officially reported."

47 broke free of his apathy and turned to his handler. "You think the doctors were involved?"

Olivia set her glass down on the table and took a few pages from Grey's file. "I'm not a doctor or anything, but when I found out Lucas was still alive, I naturally wondered how that could be. So I did some research and there's actually a case, Phineas Gage I think his name was, he got a metal rod through his head and survived! Well, and then I read a bit more and came across several blogs where people tell stories of people who have survived all suicide attempts. There was even a guy who must have shot himself twice in the head with a shotgun until he finally bled to death! Can you imagine that?"

"Yes," 47 answered dryly, pressing Lukas against his stomach. "The bone of the skull is thick."

"Ms Hall," Diana sighed, massaging her temples. "Just tell him what you told me without the gory details."

"Right," Olivia cleared her throat and sat down cross-legged. "So like I said, I'm not a doctor, but the bullet would have gone through his front part of the brain, right? Prefrontal cortex. That's what it says in the records. But Wikipedia says something different about that part being damaged."

"Wikipedia," 47 repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Olivia immediately raised both hands. "As I said, I'm not a doctor. But Wikipedia says that damage is more likely to cause short-term memory decay. In the rehabilitation files it said that Lucas had problems orientating himself and planning things. He forgot where he had put things. However, his recovery was fast enough that it didn't matter anymore. The prefrontal cortex is much more associated with emotions. So something like decisions or personality."

"Grey is indeed somewhat altered..." 47 noted, petting the bunny while listening to Olivia. It calmed his mind enormously.

"The effects of the damage vary immensely. Some become emotionally flattened, others become inflexible in their behaviour. But there can also be a sudden euphoria. Lucas had a few exercises and treatments with magnetic fields. Super exciting. But you know what information I couldn't find anywhere? _Amnesia_. They do say that amnesia can come from any damage to the brain, but since the file talks so specifically about the prefrontal cortex and not just the frontal lobe, which is actually also responsible for memories - but not only! - it's just not possible to say for sure whether the bullet is the cause of the amnesia or maybe something else."

Diana cleared her throat and crossed her other leg. "What Ms Hall is trying to say is that it is quite possible that other constellations occurred during the operation. Perhaps another region of the brain was damaged. Wilfully or by accident. I will have this looked at again. We have a job to do right now anyway, 47. Mr Rhodes needs to be taken out of circulation. I know you're not focusing well right now, so I hope we can resolve this quickly with Mr Grey so you can get on with the job."

"I can kill him today if you want," 47 said monotonously, mentally going through each step.

"No, you're too emotionally worked up," Diana said, rolling her eyes as Olivia laughed. "By your standards, at least. One day doesn't matter. I've searched Mr Rhodes’s schedule. At the moment he has no outside appointments and is unlikely to leave the country or the city for the time being. Ditto for his hunting friend Hugo Lawson. Both are under surveillance."

47 nodded and relaxed again. "So what's the plan then?"

"I'm going to see Lucas tonight. He's already cancelled the weekly trip to the club with that Zahra girl. So he'll be home. Then I'll talk to him and we'll see," Olivia explained, trying to smile. "We'll get him back, 47, he probably needs time to digest this. You weren't exactly gentle in delivering the information. I can understand that at first, he was defensive and reject everything. Especially if it's a rather unbelievable story. "

Olivia finally stood up, put her glass down and made herself comfortable on the kitchen counter. She unpacked her laptops and plugged them into the mains. Other devices followed. Diana turned to 47 once more.

"Ms Hall will record the conversation and broadcast it live to us. That way we can listen in. If you want, I can leave it and won’t listen. I feel like I've seen and heard more than was meant for me truly these past few days anyway."

"I have no secrets from you," 47 said, looking into her eyes. "You're welcome to stay."

Diana smiled gently and put a hand on 47's arm. An unusual, if equally affectionate gesture. "Ms Hall will be hanging around in front of her computers for a few more hours. I've taken the day off." She tilted her head then. "Well, as much as one can take off as a Constant. But maybe you'd like to go out for a bite to eat? Or you could show me around town. It seems enjoyable here."

That actually made 47 smile. "Do you want a taste of the suburban life?"

"It looked quite nice, at least. And when will we ever get the chance to do that again? A bit of variety from time to time, is certainly not to be neglected. Let's enjoy that it's still quiet. Trouble usually comes all by itself. Besides, I think a little distraction will do you quite a bit of good."

Eventually, they left Olivia alone in the flat and went for a walk. They had a coffee in a small café and talked about previous goals and assignments. Diana laughed in between talking about personal things, like how she once left someone during her college days to study more and he brought her flowers every day to win her back. They both ate a piece of cake with their coffee and enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of the café as they slipped more and more from the topic of work to personal topics. In the end, 47 even shared something about Lucas and how he was feeling about their relationship. At least he tried as best he could to put his few feelings into words. But Diana seemed to understand him well, as she nodded regularly and gave him time to search for words.

Only when they arrived back at the flat after two hours did 47 realise that it was the first time Diana and he had done anything privately. Outside of work hours, they hardly talked, if at all. Puzzled by the change in their relationship, he stood at the doorway for a while longer. He actually had enjoyed it tremendously.

"I ordered a pizza, I hope that was okay," Olivia smacked with half a pizza slice in her mouth as she typed on her computer. "There's plenty left if you want some too. No garlic in it though. I don't want to bring Lucas to his knees with my bad breath right away."

"Thanks, I'll order something from the hotel later," Diana declined gratefully and sat down on the sofa, pulling out her laptop. "47, don't you want to come in?"

47 was still standing at the entrance. He thought for a while until he slowly shook his head. "I'm going for a walk."

"Please don't go to him. You know Ms Hall will visit him later," Diana admonished, probably seeing through 47 better than 47 himself.

"I wasn't planning on it."

With that he disappeared out the door and went to Grey's apartment block anyway. But instead of ringing his bell, he scurried up to the roof terrace again and sat down in his usual spot. From a ventilation shaft he pulled out his bag with blanket and binoculars. He took a deep breath and began to look for Grey.

He was sitting on his sofa, hugging a large pillow. His eyes were red. Around them were several red marks on his skin - probably also from crying. Apparently, the television was on, because he was staring at a wall, which 47 could not see. There were several crisp bags and chocolate bars on the living room table. A box of tissues was beside him on the sofa. Several used tissues lay on the other side of the sofa.

Had 47 not been equally sad, it would have been an amusing sight to see the dangerous ex-CICADA looking like a sad teenager. But the longer 47 looked at Lucas, the more he wanted to go to him and apologise. To tell him that somehow, they could make it work. Even if he didn’t remember his past completely and they couldn't live together in a normal 3-bedroom flat, but travel from hotel to hotel killing people... There was still room for some intimacy, right?

47 realised that he was contradicting himself. Only a few days ago he had said that there was no room for romance in his world. Now, by hook or by crook, he was trying to find a loophole where he and Lucas could get together.

He reached for his prepaid mobile phone with cold fingers and typed what was on his mind. Olivia would sigh and Diana scold, but at this point 47 needed to do some soul hygiene.

_"I'm sorry. Please come back."_

After he sent the message, he looked through his binoculars again. Lucas looked at his phone, which was lying next to him under all the tissues, and picked it up. It took him a few moments where he just stared down the message only to press his lips together and squint his eyes. Instead of answering, he put the phone back and buried his head in the pillow he was still hugging. 47 finally put the binoculars away and stared out at the landscape. Rain pelted the vents while sirens could be heard distantly. Cars drove over wet streets, a dog barked and people chatted loudly at the entrance to the mall on whose roof 47 was sitting.

After about an hour, with Lucas just sitting sadly on the sofa and 47 equally sadly on the roof, his mobile phone rang. Olivia.

"I'm going to go see him now. Do you want to stay on the roof?" she asked in a calm voice. Apparently, she wasn't upset about the message 47 had sent.

"Yes," 47 replied shortly. "Is Diana still with you?"

"No, she resignedly went to the hotel. I went with her and left my things in her room, so there's no one in your flat at the moment. We locked the door, don't worry."

"I have everything important with me."

"Don't say that. Your bunny is still sitting on the sofa waiting for you." Olivia was probably trying to make a joke, but as soon as 47 thought of Lukas, he felt bad for forgetting. Of course, he would be back soon then. "Anyway. Fingers crossed Lucas hears me out. I'll connect the mobile to my microphone. Diana will then listen in too, but you both can't talk to me. I don't have a cool fancy little thingy like you in my ear."

"Got it. Thanks."

There was a crackle on the line. Finally, 47 heard only her footsteps on the wet road. A glance through his binoculars showed that she was already outside Luca's flat. She rang the bell.

Lucas jumped up and looked around, startled. Uncertainly, he stood up and went to the intercom. Through Olivia's microphone, 47 could hear his voice as it rang through the system.

"Hello?"

Olivia took a deep breath. "Lucas Grey? It's Olivia Hall."

The other line remained silent. Lucas’s back was turned to 47, so he couldn't see what emotions were flitting across his face at the moment. "Olivia? The friend of... 47?"

"Uh, yeah. So more like... your friend, you know? I met him through you back then."

"Did 47 sent you to convince me?"

Olivia cleared her throat and stood a little more under the canopy of the entrance. "No, I found out your address. I'm a hacker, you know. I could have just called you, but... I want to see you at least one more time. I too thought you were dead."

Lucas said nothing. He leaned against the wall and seemed to rest his head on the doorframe. "Are you armed?"

"Oh, God, no. I said I'm a hacker, not a hitman like 47. Believe me, I'm lucky if I don't cut my finger while cooking for once."

A snort sounded from the intercom. A good sign? Was he laughing?

"Come upstairs," was all he said then and opened the door for Olivia. She went straight in and practically sprinted up the stairs. Lucas turned around, quickly shoved all the tissues under a pillow and hid all the sweets under the table. The flat still didn't look tidy.

After a few minutes, Lucas opened the door for her. She stopped in the hallway and looked at him with wide eyes. It took a few moments before either of them said anything.

"It's really you," Olivia breathed, pressing her lips together. "I've missed you so much..."

It was as if she started crying at the drop of a hat. Her eyes began to shine and her lower lip began to tremble.

Lucas again had his back to 47, so he didn't know what his reaction was. But when he slowly raised his hand and took Olivia in his arms, every muscle in 47 relaxed. There was a rustling in 47's ear - presumably the microphone had been squeezed a little between the clothes by the hug.

"Come in," Lucas finally said in a very calm voice and let Olivia enter the flat. She wiped her eyes a few times and stood in the room nervously. Lucas closed the door and stood beside her. "I'm afraid I don't remember you. But your presence seems familiar. Trusted. Like with... 47."

47 saw that he struggled to call him by his number. Yet he chose to do so which evoked a comfortable feeling in him.

"After you’ve taken me with you... We've been through a lot since then," she told him, smiling softly. You could tell she was nervous. "I thought... maybe you'd like to hear some nice things from me. 47 has a habit of reaching into the macabre box. Your past hasn’t been all terrible. A lot of good things have happened too."

47 drew in his breath sharply. Portraying him as the bad guy didn't sit well with him, but he understood what Olivia was getting at. The initial negative emotions he associated with his past were now to be overwritten with something nicer. A clever move. If a little hurtful.

"Good things?" Lucas smiled, gesturing for Olivia to sit on the sofa. "I'm sure there were good times. But the fact that I was actually someone else... and not Lucas Grey, who I thought I was, is still devastating."

Olivia put down her damp jacket and sat hesitantly on the sofa. She wasn't good at human interaction. But neither was 47. Lucas seemed to be made to handle the awkwardness of other people.

"Yeah, I can imagine..." Olivia murmured, looking down at her hands. "You gave everything to be able to live a free life. After everything that's happened, this life you've built here is probably what you've always wanted."

At that moment, 47 would have liked to have had a microphone to tell Olivia that this approach was just the wrong one.

"But," Olivia began again and 47 puffed out a sigh of relief, "your family was always most important to you. You never let me down. And when you lost 47, you gave everything you had to at least keep him close. You never lost sight of him. Even though it still took many years before you found each other again."

Lucas’s ears perked up. He put a pillow on his lap again and turned a little more towards Olivia. "I lost 47? When did that happen? I thought we spent all those years together?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, there was an accident at that asylum or whatever it was." She then told of the attempted escape, of the second escape, but in which only Lucas escaped. She left out some information and told the story rather incompletely, from which 47 concluded that she was only reproducing what Lucas must have once told her some time ago. "47 got several treatments that erased his memory. It was some kind of serum. So he couldn't remember anything. Neither you nor his past. Just like you do now."

Lucas seemed visibly shaken. But far more composed than the day before, when 47 had uncoordinatedly tried to tell him exactly the same thing. "And how did he managed to remember?"

"You put all your eggs in one basket. You met at the abandoned asylum. And I tell you: I almost died of worry! 47 was a conscienceless killer until then, he would have blown your head off, no questions asked. You see, in order to bring down Providence, you previously played a cat-and-mouse game with the ICA. Where 47 and Diana worked before."

"ICA," Lucas repeated, as if it meant something to him. Olivia just kept talking.

"Well, so you met there and 47 already had the barrel pointed at your head. But you showed him your scar. The one on your palm. And the bloody handprints on the wall, which I thought were pretty gross, by the way. I mean, you were kids and you cut your hand open like it was nothing and put your bloody palms on the wall. Pretty gory."

That made Lucas grin slightly. "He and I seemed pretty gross in general."

"You guys were rad. Then when he remembered you, we injected him with an antiserum. Well, you injected him with it. With his permission. He then remembered everything. And with that, I think some emotions came back. At least he was a little more... human. Although he's still a robot."

Luca's smile grew. Olivia had a pleasant way of talking to him. Honest. And blunt. He was the same. "He's a little stiff, but certainly not emotionless. You should have seen him when we first kissed. I don't think I've ever seen a man so frightened."

Then Olivia laughed too. "I almost can't imagine that!"

47 grumbled quietly into the cold air.

After they both giggled for a few moments, Olivia sighed happily. "You've always understood him better than anyone. So don't be mad at him for trying to gain your trust and somehow it ended up in romantic feelings. I don't think he knew what he was doing 95% of the time himself. It just escalated into this… bond."

Lucas hugged the big pillow a little closer. "He should have said who he was from the beginning."

"You would have thought he was insane if he'd told you right there in the club that he was a hitman and you were his best friend. And together you cleansed the world of evil people."

Lucas tilted his head in agreement.

Olivia kept talking. "Or imagine if he had confronted you here in your flat! That was actually a consideration for a few seconds because we all weren't sure how to address you! Knowing him, he would have been at your door in full gear and probably put another barrel in your face and then lovingly tell you he missed you or something!"

Although Olivia laughed, because she was obviously joking, Lucas looked at the floor unsmilingly.

"But seriously now, Lucas: 47 dropped everything so he could win you back. He would never stay in one place that long. None of us would because it's dangerous. There are some really bad people on the streets. And I know you have a life now that is far from that. But you used to be with us. You used to be part of our group. After you died, we all fell apart. It was like you were our link. Now you're back and guess what: we're all together again. But you are still missing as a complete member. You want to leave your past behind; I understand that. But it won't work. Sooner or later, something will happen. That it has gone so well for so long is actually a miracle. But I guess that you're here – alive – at all is also a miracle."

"If Mr Rhodes hadn't found me, I'd probably be moss food now," Lucas said relatively seriously, sighing softly. "But apparently he's one of the bad guys too."

"He worked for Providence. Or still does. We can't tell if he's on our side now or not."

"Why would he be on your side now when he was previously in the organisation we were fighting?"

47 felt Lucas was slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Only, unfortunately, it seemed to be going in a different direction than planned.

"Diana is the new Constant now. So sort of... the boss of Providence."

Luca's eyes widened then. "Diana? The handler from 47? She's at Providence now? Does 47 know about this?"

"Oh yeah, we all know about it. Diana's trying to tear the place apart from the inside."

Lucas snorted out. "I have to be honest with you, Olivia. Since I can't remember anything, really anything at all, I can't assess who the good guys and the bad guys actually are at the moment. You say you are the good guys, but you kill people and try to bring down an organisation by killing more people? On the other hand, I have Mr Rhodes, who saved my life, and happens to belong to an organisation I’ve never heard of. Now you're trying to kill that man too. With so much killing going on... are you really the good guys?"

Olivia was about to say something, but fell silent. She opened her mouth again, but only looked to the side. After a few more attempts, she finally found her voice again. "We're not the good guys. We are bad too. But we only hurt people who are just as bad as us, you know? A lot of people probably would have seen you as a monster back then. Just like 47. But unlike the other bad guys, you would never have harmed innocent people. You had very strict rules about collateral damage. Your way of doing things was sometimes questionable, but I think that's part of the business. Still, you never unnecessarily involved innocent people or even killed them. Never."

Even though Olivia's words were meant to build, Lucas again looked sadly at the ground. "Still sounds like I'm a monster."

"No! You didn't listen to me properly - you weren't one! Really, I mean it! You were the kindest guy I’ve ever met in this business!”

"You describe a man who systematically brought down people and organisations. So if not a monster, what was I? Was I an anarchist? Someone who wanted to change the world according to his ideas? It's so hard for me to comprehend all that when all I hear is that I was hurting people on purpose. I mean – I’m now a nursery teacher."

That made Olivia swallow hard. "Your profession probably couldn't be more the opposite, it's true... But you've perhaps always had a heart for children. You rescued me from a war zone and took me with you, after all, even though you were a soldier yourself and had to fight for your life."

"One of the good things you were talking about earlier, I guess."

"I couldn't be more grateful to you," Olivia said, smiling gently in his direction. "I'd like you back too. Maybe a compromise is a solution for now?"

"What compromise would even be possible here? 47 has already made it clear that a life as Tobias is not possible for him. Not even for a few months."

"47 has known nothing but orders his whole life. I'm honestly surprised he lasted a year on his own. So completely without guidance. Diana always was his conscience, at least in a way. Without her, he is probably not complete. That’s why he got back to her; I assume."

Lucas looked questioningly in Olivia's direction.

"After you were dead and the former Constant was also history, 47 and Diana split up for a year. She stayed at Providence and he ... I think he took a bit of a holiday. Tasted the freedom you always preached about. I didn't follow his activities that closely. But he didn't have anybody that year. That must have been weird for him. That's why he came back. To Diana. He probably can't shed his old skin. The freedom you always wanted is probably not for him."

"That’s why he can’t stay? Because he thinks it might be the wrong thing? But why does he want to take it away from me now?"

"No," Olivia said firmly. "I don't think he wants to take it from you. But he wants you to be safe. And without you knowing your past... it's not safe. You're basically walking around like a naive child. You don't know about all the bad things that are happening out there, but you've been a part of it. It's time for you to face it. And either you do it alone or you do it with us. And at this point I would advise you to do it with us. The past catches up with everyone. In your case, it's us who present it to you again. Imagine if we had left you alone and sooner or later someone else would have been at your doorstep. Someone who might not have been as lenient with you as 47 was."

Luca's brow furrowed. The longer he talked to Olivia, the more he resembled Subject 6. His features hardened. His left hand opened and closed regularly. 47 did the same unconsciously.

"I won't force you." With that, Olivia slowly stood up. "If you choose to stay here, then we will do our best to keep an eye on you and keep you safe. But if you choose to come back to us, I'm sure you won't have to become part of whatever Diana and 47 are doing. I'm sure there's a grey area. You and I have always been a team without the others anyway. We could become a team again and just do whatever we feel like doing. I can hack us a cool flat somewhere or something else where we can eat pizza every night for starters."

Lucas stood up as well and smoothed his features. He smiled cautiously and walked towards Olivia. "That doesn't sound so bad."

Olivia's eyes began to sparkle. "Right? Or we could travel some more. We can take 47 with us for all I care. Although he'll probably want to take Diana too... Oh, then there'll be four of us. We could go to the Maldives. Not that weird island where you and 47 went before, but another one where there are normal people. We could drink cocktails and sunbathe all day! You could actually do with a bit of colour; you've never been so pale."

She reached for Luca's arm and shook it affectionately. He looked at her unchanged with a gentle smile.

"Olivia, I have no idea what you're talking about. But I'll think about it. Thank you for visiting me."

"Let's keep in touch, shall we? Whatever you decide."

Lucas nodded quietly and finally gave Olivia another tight hug. The microphone rustled in 47's ear again.

Lastly, Olivia picked up her things and left the flat. 47 watched as Lucas sat back down on the sofa, hugged the cushion and just stared into a corner for a few minutes.

Olivia called in shortly after she had walked around the block. She put her phone to her ear so 47 could talk to her. "Went okay, didn't it?"

"You were on thin ice," 47 growled as he kept his eyes on Lucas.

"But it worked. You just have to be honest sometimes. I'm sure Lucas didn't agree with me on everything. However, if you're expecting an apology, I might be persuaded to give you one if you give me access to your database."

"Denied," Diana's voice came into the conversation. "But if you're interested in working with us in the near future, I can get you access."

"I'll have to think about that," Olivia hummed happily, trudging through the wet streets. "I'm coming back to the hotel now. 47? Give him a little more time, will you? I'm sure he has some thinking to do about my or your offer."

47 watched Lucas reach for his mobile phone. A few seconds later his phone vibrated.

"I think I can muster the patience," 47 muttered, looking at the screen of his phone. He only distantly heard Olivia say something else. But his eyes were fixed on the text message Lucas had typed with a stoic face.

_"tomorrow 8pm at my flat. No guns"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter there will be lots of love again! Literally - so be warned. The next chapter will be a little spicier 😏


	12. 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember: This chapter will be spicy! It's not very long but if you're not interested in that, you might want to skip to the middle part of the chapter to continue the story.

47 was surprised how quickly Lucas let himself be persuaded to talk to him again after all that had happened. Olivia had probably hit Lucas’s mindset with her natural, friendly manner just the right way. Actually, 47 wanted to check out the situation at Lucas’s place beforehand and go to the roof terrace. In the end, however, he had spent far too much time picking out adequate clothing.

At first, he wanted to take a folding knife or a small 9mm with him. In the end he decided on neither, as Lucas didn't want any weapons. 47 felt enormously naked, but if needed, he himself was still the most dangerous weapon of all.

"Good luck, 47," Diana said through the phone as if he was about to start a mission. She and Olivia had still accompanied him to Lucas’s flat form their hotel room. Before he entered though he stopped at the entrance.

"Can you do me a favour?" 47 asked in an uncharacteristically cheerful voice. "Give us some privacy for once, will you?"

Both women were silent for a moment. "All right," Olivia finally said. "But then you'll have to explain everything to us in detail afterwards, won't you?"

"I will."

"You won't. But okay. Good luck from me too." Then Olivia hung up.

Outside the front door, 47 took another deep breath. Then he rang the bell. This was worse than any contract he had ever had to fulfil. His heart beat noticeably faster against his chest.

The intercom rustled briefly, then the door opened. Lucas had not yet said a word. 47 pushed the door open and went up the stairs with brisk steps. When he reached the floor, he saw Lucas already standing at the door. With a determined expression on his face and wearing his typical black T-shirt, he looked at 47.

"No weapons?" he greeted him in a deep voice.

"No weapons," 47 confirmed and demonstratively opened his coat. "You want to frisk me first?"

Lucas smiled weakly. "Yes."

47 came to the door and stood right in front of Lucas. Dutifully, he raised both arms and waited for him to start. But he just eyed 47 without doing anything. They stared at each other for a few seconds until he finally grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into the flat. With a thud, Lucas pushed him against the now closed front door and kissed him wildly. Completely off guard, 47 didn't even know what to do. Was this some kind of frisking? Was he checking to see if he had a microphone in his mouth? Or a hydrogen cyanide capsule?

As Lucas began to strip off 47's coat and let it slide carelessly on the floor, 47 finally understood. He wasn't sure he wanted what was about to happen, but he generally hadn't been sure he wanted any of it for the last few days. In the end, he had enjoyed all of it to some degree, though regretted it at the last moment because of how the situation with Lucas had escalated. Hoping that this would now be the all familiar ‘make-up sex’, 47 allowed himself to be undressed without resistance.

The kiss became more intense and Lucas became impatient, so that he literally tore open 47's shirt. Some buttons loosened but didn’t fall off. 47 tried to take the destruction of his expensive shirt with patience.

Eventually, they moved away from the front door towards the sofa. Knowing that the wall of windows gave a very good view of Lucas’s living room and that 47 had perhaps become a little paranoid since he himself spent every day on the roof terrace, he pushed Lucas into the bedroom. As no objections came, but only more clothes fell to the floor, they reached the bed before they were both naked.

With a misty-eyed expression, Lucas took off his own trousers and gave 47 time to do the same. The unfamiliar feeling of having someone else naked on top of him quickly dissipated as Lucas rolled to his side and pulled 47 with him. Lucas sighed several times into the kiss and clung to 47's shoulders. They both lay on their sides for a while longer, pressing against each other. Finally, without warning, Lucas reached between 47's legs and grabbed his cock. With brisk movements he pumped until 47 had become hard. The hot kisses between them, the biting and scratching at his back and the hot breath on his skin made 47 forget for several moments that he had actually come for something else.

47 braced himself with one arm and rolled Lucas onto his back. Immediately their legs knotted together. Eventually, 47 also reached between them and enclosed Lucas’s cock in a firm grip. His friend gave a contented sigh and let himself be pampered while he did his best to stroke 47 as well. The grips were firm and the kisses intense. Neither Lucas nor 47 were gentle with each other, but it was exactly what both men needed. After what felt like an eternity of sliding across the sheets, 47 felt his orgasm coming. His abdomen tensed briefly and he felt the squeezing sensation in his stomach that had also come with any of the previous kisses. He sighed darkly into Lucas’s neck and finally came in his hand. Lucas bit into 47's shoulder with pleasure and shortly afterwards felt his orgasm too.

47 stayed on top of Lucas for a few more moments, pressing him tightly against him. Lastly, they kissed once more and separated. Lucas remained lying on his back while 47 simply rolled to the side to lie on his back as well.

The air had become stuffy and even though outside a few snowflakes were already falling from the sky again, the room felt like a sauna. Both men had quickly regained their breath, yet they continued to remain silent.

47 was the first to break the silence. "That was... unexpected."

"Yes," Lucas sighed contentedly and closed his eyes for a moment. "I didn’t plan to seduce you right at the front door.”

"No?"

"No. But when you so willingly raised your arms so I could frisk you - and that had actually been a joke - I thought: why not? You'd tell me if you didn't want to. And I was curious what it would be like. I'm usually not interested in such intimacies."

"Neither am I," 47 confirmed and just continued to stare at the ceiling. "Intimacy requires trust. I don't trust most people."

"Then I guess it's an honour for me," Lucas laughed softly and finally reached for 47's hand without looking at him. He gently pressed 47's finger into his.

47 did not respond to the statement. "Were you able to satisfy your curiosity?"

"Oh, yes. I was. And I must say I enjoyed it." Before 47 could say anything in reply, Lucas finally turned to him. "I didn't force you to that, did I?"

That made 47 lift the corners of his mouth. "I would have resisted if I hadn't wanted to do it."

Lucas returned the smile. "Good."

He looked at 47 for a while longer until 47 turned his head too. For a few moments they simply looked into each other's eyes. Lucas’s thumb gently stroked 47's. After what felt like an eternity of its own, Lucas exhaled loudly and rose. "Wait here."

He broke away from 47 and got up from the bed. 47 also rose, not knowing what Lucas was up to. But when he heard water running from the bathroom, he relaxed again. Shortly afterwards, Lucas came back with a wet towel and handed it to 47, who wiped the moistness of his body before Lucas took the towel back.

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked, remaining naked in the flat and standing at the door frame to the bedroom. 47 considered for a moment, but then shook his head.

"I'll get us some water," Lucas said, although 47 had denied the question. After a few seconds he returned with two water bottles, one of which he placed on a small shelf beside 47’s side. Lucas himself climbed back into bed and pulled out the blanket. He lovingly placed it over 47 legs and fluffed the pillows behind them. Finally, he took a drink from his bottle, put it away and pulled 47 back into a lying position.

After Lucas rested his head on 47's shoulder and lay comfortably at his side, 47 put an arm around his shoulders insecurely. The lights were off throughout the flat, with only the ceiling light still shining in the bedroom.

"Tell me everything," Lucas began, breathing in and out quietly. "From the very start."

It took 47 a few moments before he understood what his friend wanted him to say. "Your past?"

"Yes. Tell me everything you know."

"I can only tell you about our childhood and then the last three years. In between, you'll have to ask Olivia."

Lucas seemed less bothered by that. "I'll ask her when the time comes. For now, I want to know everything from you. And about you. Or rather about us. Maybe I'll remember?"

Carefully, 47 let his hand brush over Lucas’s scarred back. He gathered his thoughts and started at the beginning. When they were born, of course, he couldn't tell much. But when Lucas was six and 47 was five, the first memories came. He talked about the institute, about the people there, about the doctors and about the treatments. How hard and horrible their training was and that Lucas took the whole situation much better than 47. He wasn’t as scared and angry as him back then. Or he at least didn’t show it because obviously Lucas had been way angrier in the following years. Almost lovingly, 47 told how they were always together and roamed the corridors. Whenever 47 was sad, Lucas had taken care of him. Then he talked about the white bunny he had gotten from Lucas.

"Do you still have Lukas? The bunny from the zoo?" his friend interrupted the narration.

"Yes. He's waiting at the flat."

Lucas chuckled softly and indicated that 47 could continue. So he told of their escape, which failed, and the second escape that followed much later, in which only Lucas escaped.

"I left you alone in the asylum? Just like that?"

"You wanted to die by my side," 47 clarified, realising he'd said more in the last few minutes than he had in the entire last year.

"Sounds more like it. Let me guess: You forced me to go?"

"Correct."

"Oh, 47," Lucas sighed, kissing his neck, which he had been biting into with relish just moments ago.

"It had to be done. So you could live a free life. Although you told me after we’ve reunited you weren't sure who got the better end of the deal."

"None of us, if I'm reading this right. You didn't remember anything. And ignorance is a bliss but also terribly sad considering that you basically lost 25 years. I got a few more emotions for that. Which I'm not sure is such a good thing. I can feel a lot of joy, but also a lot of pain..."

"Anger and feelings of revenge have taken you a long way. I probably would have just stayed with the ICA for the next 20 years and never known about any of this."

"What about the ICA now? What happened after I died?"

47 told about the situation in the woods, that he went to Olivia afterwards, she helped him bust the ICA. Then about the death from the Constant on the train, Diana's betrayal that wasn't a betrayal after all, and finally about the year he wanted to enjoy his freedom and couldn't.

"Guess after so many years, when all the rules and regulations fall away, such complete freedom can be scary. Making your own decisions is truly not easy."

47 could only agree. It was easier when others decided for him. Diana did that very well. Why would he want to change the situation? After all, she was his best friend and most trusted person, besides Lucas. And the realisation hit 47 hard.

Lucas escaped a long sigh. After that he snuggled a little more to 47. When they both didn't say anything for a while and Lucas’s breathing became slower, 47 leaned his head on Lucas’s hair.

"I guess I'm staying the night?" he asked quietly, murmuring almost incomprehensibly into Luca's hair. His friend only mumbled a "yes" and didn't move again.

With his long arm, 47 barely reached the light switch near the bed to turn off the light. When it was pitch black, Lucas adjusted the blanket once more and finally fell asleep at 47's side after only a few minutes. The agent listened to the quiet breathing for a while longer until he also closed his eyes and fell asleep as well.

The next morning, 47 woke up because it was too warm under the blanket. Lucas was snoring quietly beside him and had annexed his arm as a pillow. He wriggled out of the clinging grip without waking Lucas. Finally, he went to the bathroom and then looked for his mobile phone. A message from Olivia from last night at 2am.

_"How'd it go?"_

47 dressed again and shuffled into the kitchen while typing a reply.

_"Grey knows everything I know now. He doesn't seem to remember himself though."_

As there was no reply and 47 suspected she was still asleep, he began to rummage through Lucas’s fridge. It was a disastrous selection, consisting mainly of only convenience food and a litre of milk. Disappointed, he closed the fridge again and searched the cupboards. But there too he found only flour and sugar. And coffee. A lot of coffee.

He peeked briefly into Lucas's bedroom again and made sure he was still asleep. With quick steps he went to the nearby supermarket. It was quite full for a Monday morning but he managed to get all things needed within only 10 minutes. With equally quick steps, he went back to the flat and opened the front door with the stolen key.

When at half past nine Lucas came crawling out of his dark bedroom in his pyjamas, 47 was already sitting at the kitchen table and scrolling through the news on his mobile phone. Lucas’s hair was a mess, but his dark circles under his eyes seemed less intense.

"You're already awake," Lucas purred, rubbing his sleepy eyes like a little kid. "And... you made breakfast?"

47 put the phone aside and looked up at his friend, who was standing wide-eyed in front of the little table. Buns, spread, boiled eggs and even croissants. The coffee was still in the coffee maker, being kept warm. 47 had already taken a cup.

"You only eat ready-made products. That's not healthy in the long run. You have to change your diet."

Lucas murmured in amusement. "I get a telling off first thing in the morning just because you looked in my fridge." Nevertheless, he sat down with a big smile on his face. "Thanks for breakfast. As far as that goes, you're the lover of probably everyone’s dreams."

His friend grabbed some coffee and began peeling his egg. 47 watched him for a few moments until he had to ask.

"Do you remember anything about what I told you?"

"It's hard to say," Lucas replied, placing the egg on his plate. "It's a mixture of a straight narrative and my memories. Specific things seemed familiar. But I couldn't really remember. Like it was someone else's story that I was standing by."

"I had that feeling too. Even after you gave me the serum."

Lucas looked into 47's eyes for a while. "Do you have any of the serum left? Maybe it will help me too?"

"You didn't lose your memory from a serum. You lost yours through an accident."

Sighing, his friend nodded and continued peeling the egg. "Olivia said there might be a solution for us. That I don't have to choose your life 100% and you don't have to choose my life 100%. Is that true?"

47 pressed his lips together. Olivia had once again imagined this to be easier than it was. "That would depend on how you could live with the truth."

Lucas looked up again. His features hardened. "I can accept that I was once a violent, vengeful person. All the problems I had then, I don't have anymore. I wanted a life of freedom and I have that now. The feeling of the last few years that something was missing in my life is now gone. It was probably just you. And Olivia. Now that I have you both back... Why would I give up my beautiful life here?"

"Because it's dangerous," 47 repeated, feeling the good mood quickly disappear.

"You know what’s dangerous? Being a hitman and dealing with criminals. This right here? That’s nothing. And if someone shows up… well, I'll just go back to training a bit more. You were going to do some martial arts with me anyway. Teach me some stuff again and I'll be well prepared just in case."

47 didn't quite know if that was a really good idea or a really bad one. Maybe it was the uncertainty that if he wanted to stay with Lucas, he'd have to choose suburban life as well. And up until now that idea was very much double edged. "So where's my place in your world then?"

"Where you'd like it to be," Lucas replied, trying to smile. It was sad, though. As if he already knew the answer. "My flat is always open for you. You seem to have already taken the key, anyway." He laughed softly.

"I can't just come in and out of here as I please. In my profession it is of great importance not to stay too long in one place. What I'm doing here is highly dangerous. Basically, I'm endangering both of us. If one of my enemies finds out that you live here permanently, it could become problematic. They would use you against me in a weak moment."

Lucas resignedly put the egg down. "Then just tell me: Do you have to kill people at all costs? I understand that there will always be people who do bad things, and therefore there must always be people who clean up a bit. People like you. But we're approaching our 60s, so how about retiring?"

Normally, retirement for an agent came through death. A normal pension, like normal people had, didn't really exist for hitmen. "I don't think that's possible."

"If you want to be bossed around, I can make that happen," Lucas joked, finally eating a piece of his egg. "The flat really needs cleaning. And since you've been already shopping, you might as well get a few other things. And I've been meaning to go to IKEA to buy a new cupboard. I'll certainly need your help for that. Also you could help me setting it up."

47 immediately imagined how he would do all of it for Lucas. He would get things done efficiently within a day. And then?

Although it was meant as a joke, Lucas saw that 47 had taken his words seriously. He resignedly pushed his plate a few inches and reached for 47's hand across the table. His gaze suddenly became thoughtful and his jolly mood was now completely lost. "Maybe it's just not possible to be together on this level. We've lost sight of each other for so many years, and in the time we've travelled the world together, we've only had one goal in mind, which eventually tore us apart again."

The words echoed in 47's head but found no meaning.

Lucas took a deep breath and finally sighed as he looked out the window. "Maybe this is the point where we have to realise that we work better as friends or acquaintances who see each other a few times a year." He bit his lip. "Even if it hurts to admit it like that. But I don’t want to force you to stay here with me. As you can’t force me to come with you."

47 didn’t know how to respond to that. A part of him saw it exactly like that. Another part of him felt pure agony by just the thought of being separated from his 6 again. But he couldn’t phrase his thoughts. So he just stared at his plate and stayed silent.

Breakfast then went on quite oppressively. They both ate mainly in silence. Only sometimes did Lucas say something trivial like the kindergarten's next outings and Zahra's birthday.

"She'll probably ask if you're coming," Lucas muttered as he put the plates into his little dishwasher after they’ve finished eating. 47 helped put the rest of the leftovers back in the fridge.

"I don't think that's a good idea," 47 replied just as quietly.

"Is anything actually a good idea with you?" Luca's tone suddenly became harsh and irritated. "Is a normal life that bad for you? Like – even when you’re pretending like you did in the last days? I’m not asking you to play the cheerful boyfriend or become best friends with my friends. Just come with me for one more time. Be present, nothing more."

47 didn't like it when people were angry with him. Especially people he knew and liked. Diana was also good at scolding him if he ever completed an assignment messily. It just didn't feel good. It reminded him of the old days when the teachers had beaten the children if they didn't behave. 47 felt an immense urge to pet Lukas.

"Do you even want to be by my side?" Lucas asked, looking at 47 promptingly, "Because I want to stay with you. But I can't because I don't remember. You've told me everything I need to know now, but my memories don't come back. It's very dangerous at your side, if I do say so myself. And as long as I don't have a decent training or at least an idea of what exactly Diana is doing now and in what position you're in and what my role is going to be - because I don't like executive decision makers - it's just not possible for me to get on the next jet with you and fly somewhere where some guy is making billions on drugs. Or whatever they’re doing. I don't know how people get on your killing list!"

47 looked down at the ground. Lucas, on the other hand, continued to talk himself into a frenzy.

"Conversely, it might also be dangerous for you to come in and out of here, but it's still safer than the other option. Because here we are in control, this is our place, we know the people and we know their behaviour. As soon as someone seems strange to us, we can always follow it up. Christ, I'm willing to move to another city if you don't like Plymouth. I'll move to another country, I'm open to anything, as long as it’s with you. But I just can't... become your crime buddy. I guess I used to be, but... I don't even know if I could kill anyone."

As 47 continued to say nothing, but simply stood beside Lucas frozen like a pillar of salt, still holding the cheese he'd meant to put in the fridge, Lucas realised he might have gone a bit overboard.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, taking the cheese from 47's hand and putting it on the counter. "Come here..."

He hugged his friend firmly in his arms and stroked his back. 47 allowed it, but the inner feeling of pressure only diminished minimally.

"I wish I could remember," Lucas breathed as he pressed his nose into 47's neck. "Then we wouldn't be having this discussion at all."

"And no decision to make," 47 murmured, placing his hands gently on Lucas’s back.

Before Lucas could let him go home, he dragged him into the shower. They kissed now and then, but mostly just stood under the warm stream of water and hugged. 47 wasn't used to having so much physical contact. It made him feel on edge most of the time. But on the other hand, he enjoyed the closeness to his friend, who lovingly caressed his back.

Finally, 47 said goodbye with a kiss on Lucas's lips. They looked into each other's eyes for a while until Lucas asked if they see each other at least once more before he left. 47 nodded and then walked home with quick steps. There he quickly changed his clothes and brushed his teeth. He tried not to think about the decisions and previous conversations between him and Lucas. Forcibly, he thought about his job, Diana, possible assignments and his imminent departure.

In the end, he grabbed his Silverballer and put it under his jacket. He was already at the door and about to leave when he remembered Lukas. So he went back to the sofa, took Lukas in his arms, hugged him tightly once and eventually sat him down on the sofa again.

Olivia had sent him a message, asking about details because 47s message from earlier didn’t contain enough information. But before 47 would type his fingers to the bone, he just decided to join the two ladies at the hotel. Diana opened the door even before he had arrived in the corridor.

"Good to see you," she said and smiled. Her calm and deliberate manner made 47 smile back.

The moment he entered the room, he saw Olivia sitting at the desk with all her equipment. She was eating a burrito. "Whatever you guys did, you really did it in secret. Respect. I heard nothing."

"So much for not eavesdropping on us." 47 was glad he'd left his phone, along with his clothes, in Luca's living room when they'd sorted things out in the bedroom. He sat down on the wing chair that was by a window. Diana sat down on the second armchair right next to it.

"How did it go?" she asked, crossing her legs.

47 had to think for a moment. He looked out the window and watched the houses across the street. He was not quite sure how to begin. But one thing was certain: he wouldn't say anything about the make-up sex. That was really none of their business. "Good and bad."

"Let me guess: He still can't remember, but everything's cool between you again," Olivia suggested a possible outcome.

That made 47 exhale noisily. "Something like that."

"How did Mr Grey decide?" Diana, as usual, wasn't interested in details, but in the outcome. 47 was glad he didn't have to explain everything.

"He's staying."

Olivia's face became abruptly sad. "Really? But he seemed... so confident when I told him about the grey area. You know... he doesn't have to be 100% in the boat with us. I'm not really one of you guys either."

47 sat back but still couldn't relax. " It's not that simple. On the open sea, you can only choose one boat. The only grey area for him is the possibility of me staying in his boat and still doing my job."

"You can't do that," Diana interrupted immediately. "You know how dangerous our missions are. And as long as Providence still has men in the shadows who remain loyal to the old way of thinking, it is not safe to stay in one place. You and he... you are still an object of desire for such people after so many years. Mr Grey would also be very vulnerable if it comes out that he is one of your weaknesses."

"That's why we want him to come with us," Olivia sighed, turning to her computer. She left the burrito on a plate next to it. "I'll text Lucas again to think it over."

"Leave him," 47 murmured, "We've come to an agreement similar to yours. We'll keep in touch."

Olivia immediately dropped her hands in her lap. Her face showed that she was reluctant to comply.

"So that's settled then," Diana summarised, clasping her hands together. "We still have Mr Rhodes on the list. As well as Mr Lawson, the other hunter. I would suggest we take this opportunity to do what needs to be done. Then we pack up our things and get out of this place. I'm getting a little tired of this weather."

47 just nodded. "When and where?"

"I'll do some more research and let you know then. Assume it will be this week."

"Has anything came up regarding the Doctors?" 47 asked. When Diana looked at him questioningly, he continued talking. "Olivia had said there were discrepancies regarding his memory loss."

"I found nothing important," Olivia muttered, angling one leg. "The nursing staff could have been anyone. Anyway, the attending doctor doesn't seem to be connected to Providence. Neither did the other doctors, though one had child pornography on his computer. Really disgusting. I emailed the police straight away."

Again 47 just nodded and finally got up to leave the hotel. He spent the evening with Lukas on the sofa. And a packet of biscuits. The one with chocolate filling.

The next morning the sun shone unexpectedly. The snow, which still lay sporadically in the corners of the streets, glistened in the light, although most of it had already turned slushy black.

He sat quietly on his sofa and drank his coffee while Lukas sat on his lap. As he did so, he scrolled through the news of the day. At some point he came to a page that was mainly for women. There the article of the day was "How to win him over". Curious, 47 tapped on it, even though he already knew that only nonsense would await him.

Many things were indeed bullshit. Complimenting Lucas only helped to a certain extent. Throwing yourself into sexy lingerie probably only helped if you were a woman. Another tip was to be in a positive mood to keep an open mind. 47 wasn't even sure if he was in a positive or negative mood at that moment. A love letter, on the other hand, was not a bad idea, but too mundane an approach for the complicated situation. But there was one thing that appealed to 47 immediately: "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach! Go out for a fancy dinner or even better, cook him a little something he likes!"

47 was sure that the online magazine was very conservative and portrayed a somewhat questionable image of women, but the idea of serving Lucas decent food one last time appealed to him. After all, he also liked to eat good food. Since a fancy restaurant was definitely out of question after the last date and Lucas’s discomfort, 47 decided to cook himself.

So he got dressed and went shopping. He probably bought far too much. But he'd rather cook one or two portions more than one too few. Finally, he brought everything home and began to make the first preparations. The meat had to marinate for almost a day. While mixing a sauce, he remembered that maybe he should tell Lucas about his plan.

 _"I will still be here this week. Tomorrow night at my place? I'll cook for us,"_ he wrote, hoping he sounded positive enough. The stupid women's magazine still resonated prominently in his head.

47 prepared other things, like the puff pastry for dessert. Never would he buy ready-made. So he prepared the puff pastry fresh.

When, after several hours of 47 being in the kitchen, there was no answer, he got worried. Since he didn't want to call either, he just decided to go to the kindergarten. Lucas had to work today, after all. And 47 wanted to stretch his legs.

The sun was warm and hinted at one last beautiful autumn day, although the trees were already bare. When he arrived at the kindergarten, 47 could already hear the children shouting on the playground. Outside, however, he could not see Lucas. But Zahra Rhodes recognised him.

"Tobias!" she called happily, waving at him as she rose from her bench to come to the fence. 47 also stepped closer. "How nice to see you. Lucas is inside, would you like me to fetch him?"

"Yes, thank you," 47 said quietly, already walking towards the main entrance while Zahra disappeared into the building. Only moments later Lucas came out with a sleeping girl in his arms. She was maybe four or five.

"4-... Tobias," Lucas corrected himself, holding the door open for 47 to enter. "What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

Once they were both inside, the children's voices and screams were even louder. They both therefore adjourned to an empty room with toys. The door to the playground outside was still open. The girl was fast asleep in Luca's arm. Her head lay exhausted on his shoulder while her arms were hanging over his. Overall, the position looked very cosy and 47 wondered if it was as cosy as it looked.

"You didn't reply to my message," 47 said quietly, watching the sleeping girl.

Lucas immediately felt his trouser pockets with his free hand. "Ah crap, my phone must still be in my backpack. Is there something important? Are you leaving now?" His eyes immediately grew wide.

"No," 47 reassured his friend, seeing in the corner of his eye Zahra and a colleague peering curiously into the room. "I'm still here for the week. That's why I wanted to invite you to my place tomorrow."

Instantly Lucas relaxed his shoulders. He hoisted the girl onto his other arm without waking her. Other children ran past briefly, and Lucas looked after them. "Oh, tomorrow is actually Zahra's birthday party..."

"You're invited! I don't need a present either!" Zahra shouted through the open door from outside, waving cheerfully at 47.

Lucas looked annoyed at her and indicated with a nod that she should leave. 47, on the other hand, pushed his eyebrows together.

"When does the party start?"

Lucas had to think for a moment. "Uh, around six o’clock, I think. We can't celebrate that late because we all have to go back to work the next day."

"An inconvenient time," 47 muttered, "And before that?"

"I have to work, 47," Lucas sighed, immediately pressing his lips together in regret that he hadn't called his friend by his alias. But the girl continued to sleep devotedly in his arms.

"The day after tomorrow?"

Finally, Lucas had to smile because 47 was so persistent. "Yes, the day after tomorrow works."

47 nodded and thought about how he could keep the prepared food fresh for another day. A couple more children came up and wanted Lucas’s attention. Another child, who seemed very shy, immediately grabbed Lucas’s hand.

He talked to the children, who eventually ran outside. The little boy stayed on Lucas’s hand while the girl was still asleep. 47 wanted both the place on Lucas’s shoulder and his hand.

"I have to go back now," his partner breathed, pressing his lips together. "Thank you for stopping by for a moment. I look forward to seeing you the day after tomorrow then."

Zahra and her colleague were still peering curiously through the open door, though a little more subtly.

"What about tomorrow?" 47 asked, glowering at the little boy on Luca's hand. "I just got invited to a birthday party."

That made Lucas chuckle softly. He bit his lip as a dark sigh escaped him. He then hissed in 47's direction. "When I asked you, you declined. Did you really need an official invitation?"

"No," 47 admitted, moving a little closer to his partner when he realised the boy wasn't going to leave Luca's hand. "I changed my mind. Sometimes ideas are better than they looked at the beginning."

His friend seemed amused, if fatigued, at the changed decision. "All right, then, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll meet you at the club at 6pm. Where you 'work'."

47 nodded and pretended he still worked there.

"See you tomorrow then, _Tobias_ ," Lucas said, emphasising his alias extra sharply.

"See you tomorrow," 47 replied curtly, leaning forward, kissing Lucas on the lips and finally turning on his heel, only to cast another withering glance at the boy on Lucas’s hand. The boy immediately stuck his tongue out at him. Lucas looked after 47 in surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 47 reading women magazines is inspired by the movie from 2007, which I actually enjoyed watching. The 2015 movie however was one of the worst movies I've ever watched... We really need a CGI movie, like the cutscenes from the first Hitman, just in a movie. That would be awesome. Let's dream about it while Lucas and 47 sort things out 😃


	13. 13

"Can't I come too?" Olivia nagged, looking at both 47 and Diana as if they were her parents. She was standing in the big living room of 47s flat while Diana was sitting on the sofa. "I want to go out partying again, too. Especially with Lucas... After all, if it's our last week. And Diana, before you say it's too dangerous, I have two top trained agents with me!"

Diana was already taking a breath to reply when 47 interrupted her.

"Fine by me."

Olivia immediately clenched her fist and punched the air triumphantly. "Yes!"

"I don't think we're in a position to decide that. It is, after all, a young lady's birthday. Besides, I don't need to remind you again that she is the daughter of our next target?"

"But 47 already knows her. And when I say that I'm... er...," Olivia thought about her lie for a while, "I'm your niece, 47, and I happened to be in the vicinity."

"Not very believable," Diana grumbled. "But I'd better not get involved in that. Do whatever you please as long as our target won’t notice that we’re here."

47 noticed Diana's slightly irritable manner as he got ready for the evening. He had replaced the ingredients for the meal and presented the prepared dishes to Diana and Olivia. Diana was more than delighted, Olivia ate like a bird because she didn't know - and accordingly didn't like - half of what was on her plate.

"Would you like to come too?" 47 asked, placing a cup of espresso in front of Diana. She eyed the cup, then 47.

"I beg your pardon. This club is aimed at a younger generation and I'm definitely out of that age. Besides, I have enough to do."

" _Hello_?" Olivia interjected, jumping around like an excited bouncy ball. "I'm going to the party tonight with two boomers! You're more of a targeted audience than those two!"

47 tried to ignore the B-word and just agreed with her. "Right."

"No, thanks," Diana finally smiled and sipped her espresso. "But have a lovely evening."

Olivia peeled out of one of her three jumpers. "What are you doing then?"

Diana smiled smugly and crossed her legs. "I'm going to take a long bath, use room service and watch a nice movie on TV. Then I will go to bed on time and read a nice book. Finally, I will fall asleep and wake up tomorrow well-rested and relaxed."

47 knew she was aiming squarely at the fact that Olivia would probably vegetate on the sofa tomorrow, wrecked and tired. But that didn't seem to bother her, so Olivia just shrugged and nodded. "Sounds like a good night."

When the time came, Olivia and 47 were already standing outside the club. Other people smoked their cigarettes and enjoyed their drinks. "Does Lucas know I'm in?"

"No," 47 said and looked around. Just then, Lucas and his colleagues, including Zahra, came around the corner. They already had bottles in their hands, which they emptied one by one as they walked. Presumably the drinking binge had already started at the kindergarten.

Lucas approached 47 smiling until he saw Olivia. His eyes widened. A little nervously, he looked at his colleagues.

"Tobiaaaas!" Zahra cried, already visibly buzzed, waving wildly at him. "Who have you brought with you? Hi! I'm Zahra!" Immediately she reached out and shook Olivia's hand frantically.

"Oh, hi, I'm Saskia. Tobias's niece. I was cheeky enough to just invite myself along because the club sounded pretty cool."

"Oh, that’s okay!" she laughed and hugged 47 tightly. He didn’t return the hug as he wasn’t expecting such intimacy from her. "That's not an issue at all, of course! You're invited just like Tobias. Did you know he's dating my colleague? Aren't they cute?"

Zahra was already quite drunk. Olivia smiled broadly and nodded happily. Lucas rolled his eyes, his prosthesis only half coming along with it.

"It's especially cute when they kiss!" Zahra chirped, nudging Lucas towards 47, who looked mildly annoyed and made no move to kiss his friend.

Fortunately, Zahra didn't wait for the two men to actually kiss, but walked happily to the entrance, taking her colleagues with her. Lucas, Olivia and 47 stayed outside for now.

"Are you really just here to party with us?" Lucas asked, smiling a bit nervously at Olivia. She nodded immediately. They both fell into a big hug and the nervousness was gone.

"Yes, though I plan on keeping a distance from you guys, so you have plenty of time to yourselves. But sometimes I come over and remind you that I exist." She laughed spitefully and hugged Lucas tightly one more time. He laughed darkly with his deep voice and lifted Olivia a few inches off the ground as a joke. Finally, he let go of her and watched her walk into the club.

"If we ever get married, we'll adopt her," Lucas joked dryly, reaching for 47's hand.

But 47 froze immediately. He looked at Lucas with wide eyes. His friend was still smiling happily and looked towards the club entrance. Only when nothing came from his friend after a while did he turn to him and immediately backpaddled. "It was a joke, 47, we can't get married for the mere fact that we don't officially exist. Let alone adopt someone who probably also officially doesn’t exist."

"I have to learn to take your jokes," 47 admitted, relaxing a little again.

"You need to learn to loosen up a bit. The real world is like that sometimes," Lucas sighed, putting his arms over 47's shoulders just to massage them for a brief moment. "We'll drink ourselves into oblivion tonight and have a nice evening, okay?"

"I thought you had to go back to work tomorrow?"

"One thing doesn’t rule out the other. You just have to be quick enough," Lucas laughed darkly, caressing 47's cheeks. "It's nice that you came along after all. Even if your presence comes with the bitter aftertaste that it will probably be the last time we meet for a long time. Except for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," 47 repeated, trying hard to smile.

They kissed each other lovingly on the lips and eventually went into the club as well. It wasn't as crowded as on weekends, but crowded enough so they weren't alone. They sat in a reserved area that was regularly spiked with alcohol. Zahra was having a lot of fun unwrapping her gifts, more than half of which were adult stuff like dildos and bondage accessories. 47 watched the proceedings quite neutrally, while Olivia felt a little embarrassed. When Lucas inquired amusedly why she was so embarrassed, she only blushed even harder. He nudged her in the side and laughed loudly.

The drunker Lucas got, the clingier he became. 47 held back on the alcohol, but felt the first signs of drunkenness after several rounds. When he let Lucas drag him onto the dance floor and actually managed to bring himself to move to the music, he felt something like fun. Zahra and the others were dancing right next to them, trying wild dance moves and making each other laugh. Olivia also danced with Lucas at one point and it was one of the most wholesome moments 47 had been privileged to observe. Although the music was anything but classical, Lucas led her around the dance floor in the spirit of a standard dance style. They told each other jokes while dancing like father and daughter in a heavy metal club. The dance was not accurate and they did not move to the beat, but they both laughed more than they had in years.

47 felt his mobile vibrating in his pocket around midnight. But he was busy hanging out in a corner with Lucas like a teenager, licking each other's mouths. That wasn't really his style, but why not for this one evening, he asked himself. Why not, actually? After all, kissing him was fun, he had to admit.

He'd probably drunk more alcohol than he'd originally intended, because the world was swaying quite a bit in the end. When they left the club and waved the others goodbye, Olivia went to hold Lucas’s hand, while Lucas went to hold 47's hand. They both bounced around like two children, while 47 tried convulsively not to walk in wiggly lines. Both Lucas and Olivia found this enormously funny and kept pulling him to the side so that he was forced to make wiggly lines after all.

Both men took Olivia to the hotel and dropped her off. She said goodbye with a long hug to Lucas and a short hug to 47, knowing that he doesn’t like physical contact as much as Lucas does. Finally, the two men walked down the street holding hands.

"Last time you took me home. So, this time I'll walk you home," Lucas chuckled, waving their clasped hands in the air.

"Sounds fair," 47 muttered, still focused on walking straight. Just before they reached the flat, he gave up. At the front door, they fell into another long kiss. Lucas had his arms wrapped around 47 and wouldn't let him go. So 47 fumbled the front door open with his key and stumbled in backwards with Lucas in his arms.

"Oh, no, no," Lucas denied, disengaging from his friend without actually letting go. "I have to work tomorrow."

47 didn't know what exactly he was up to, but he was tired and drunk and Lucas wasn't going to let him go, so he would drag him to bed with him if he had to. "One doesn't rule out the other." His words sounded slurred even in his own ears.

That made Lucas laugh dirty and follow submissively. They kissed the entire lift ride up to the flat. There they stripped off their clothes until they were naked. When Lucas saw the bunny sitting on 47's bed, he said loudly "Naw!" until he finally put it aside and pulled 47 under the covers.

Before they could start anything, they fell asleep in the middle of a kiss. Their age was showing after all.

The next morning, 47 woke up with tiny Lukas in his arms instead of big Lucas. He looked around in confusion and finally got up. At the kitchen counter, big Lucas sat with a cup of coffee and smiled drowsily in 47's direction.

"You're cute," he whispered, propping his head on one hand while watching his friend sleepily.

47 was still naked and heavy-eyed at the doorframe and didn't know why Lucas said that until he realised, he still had the bunny under his arm. With an incomprehensible grumble, he went back into the bedroom, put Lukas back in bed and got a pair of trousers and a shirt.

Back in the living room, he shuffled over to Lucas, who was still smiling happily at him. He didn't seem to have been awake long. His eyes were still red from rubbing.

With open arms he welcomed his friend and snuggled against his chest.

"How long have you been awake?" 47 asked, looking at the kitchen clock. 10.20am.

"Only for ten minutes or so. I probably woke you up with the coffee machine. It's pretty loud."

"Fully automatic. They're always loud."

"Sorry."

"You could have woken me up earlier."

"Oh, you were sleeping so sweetly with Lukas. I didn't want to get you out of bed just because my bladder was screaming at me."

47 felt Lucas start to caress his back. Only now did he notice that Lucas had borrowed clothes and was sitting there in one of his shirts. It looked good on him.

"Are you hungry?"

"Always," Lucas chuckled and finally got up from the bar stool to give 47 a kiss. "You were going to cook today anyway."

47 nodded, but fell silent. He looked at his watch again, then at Lucas. "Don't you have to work?"

"I called in sick. The management just laughed at me and said they'd been expecting it and wondered why I hadn't taken time off in the first place." Lucas shrugged. "I hadn't planned on staying at my new boyfriend's flat back then when I had made the decision."

The word 'boyfriend' sounded strange to 47's ears. Then again, he couldn't think of a more fitting term. So he left it as it was.

They went to shower together later in the day. This time it got a bit more heated, though 47 didn’t initiate it but Lucas. After many kisses, his partner got down on his knees to spoil 47 a little bit. His mouth was hot and felt incredibly good. 47 came into Lucas’s mouth quicker than he thought, who grinned contentedly into the stream of water as he stood up again. 47 returned the favour with a similar gesture, watching proudly as Lucas came moaning loudly, clinging to the shower device for support. 47 was not sure whether he thought this kind of intimacy was good or bad. With Lucas, everything felt familiar and beautiful. And coming felt good. Still, after the shower he had to confess to his partner that a sexual relationship was rather not for him. Lucas agreed immediately and made the sad joke that they would only see each other every few months anyway, that’s why he initiated it. To have him one last time. He didn't really care whether they had sex or not. If the opportunity arose, then he would be happy; if not, then not, he said. 47 agreed with that.

Olivia called around 1pm, sounding like she'd been put through the shredder. "How can you manage partying so well at your age," she sighed plaintively, seeming to still be in bed. Both men stood in the kitchen chopping vegetables while she was on speaker.

"A lot of practice," Lucas laughed amusedly, concentrating on chopping the chicory into small pieces.

"We're genetically modified, don't forget," 47 reminded her, preparing the dough for the ravioli.

This only earned an annoyed groan from Olivia, who then quickly ended the conversation to go back to bed. Lucas just smiled contently to himself the whole time and seemed enormously happy. 47 wondered again why he rejected this life so vehemently. Was it because he didn't like the one year of freedom? Or because he learned the hard way that even a quiet life in a church didn't last long? So why would this life go well?

When 47 had banished Lucas from the kitchen to prepare the courses in peace, Lucas became curious. "What exactly are we having?"

"For starters we have trout, smoked eel, beetroot stock and nasturtium. Then we have ravioli filled with white truffle and chestnuts. Accompanied by glazed shiitake and a glass of vin jaune," 47 began to tell and was concentrated on preparing a dish on two plates.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but it sounds good," Lucas laughed and propped himself up on the back of the sofa. As he did so, he petted Lukas, who was allowed to travel from the bed to the sofa.

"Then there is a Wagyu roast beef with caviar garnish, churros and pickled vegetables in butter. For dessert, mille feuille with caramel, vanilla and walnut ice cream."

"47," Lucas began to walk towards him, impressed. He hugged him from behind and rested his head on his shoulder. "You are a true gourmet."

"You'll find it tastes better than your ready-made meals."

"I'm sure it will," Lucas chuckled softly and gave 47 a firm hug. "One of these days you and I are going to McDonalds, though."

47 took both plates of the starter in his hand to serve them. While carrying two plates with Lucas still hugging him, he spoke a firm: "Never."

The food tasted excellent and 47 had to praise himself in his mind. He received additional praise from Lucas, although he admitted at the end that he would probably never eat something like that again soon, as it was either too expensive or not even rudimentary in his repertoire of cooking skills. Lucas then told a few jokes about how he had once tried to cook and failed miserably. 47 and he did the dishes together, cleaned up the kitchen and finally sat down on the sofa. There they continued to talk about trivial things like holidays and clothes. But the mood changed as the hours passed.

It was, after all, the last meeting for the time being. This inevitably led to both of them sitting on the sofa towards the evening in a depressed mood. Lucas stared out the large window and sighed several times without saying anything. 47 had Lukas on his lap and was petting him absently. After they had been silent for a few minutes, 47 leaned towards Lucas and nestled his head on his shoulder. Immediately his friend wrapped his arms around him and leaned back.

47 concluded: Lucas’s shoulder was as comfortable as it looked.

"For not actually being a goodbye, it feels pretty much like it," Lucas whispered into the silence of the room. "Can't you extend your stay a bit?"

"No, Diana already gave me this week as a grace period."

"Do you do everything Diana tells you?"

47 exhaled softly. At that, he closed his eyes and absently petted the bunny. "No. But she's right about a lot of things."

"She sounds like a helicopter mother. We have a lot of those in kindergarten. They never let their children out of their sight and decide everything for them. Then you end up with completely insecure children who, when they become young adults, become even more insecure because they suddenly realise that mum can't make all the decisions."

"I'm an adult," 47 reminded his partner.

"Yet you let Mummy Diana decide," Lucas laughed, but once again the joke rather backfired.

"She's a good friend and an excellent partner. Not my mother."

That silenced Lucas. After several moments of saying nothing, he simply fondled 47's arm. In the end, he sighed softly and closed his eyes as well. 47 saw his reflection in the window as he briefly checked to see if Lucas was angry.

They both eventually fell asleep for an hour and delayed the end until it was late. Lucas had to say goodbye.

"If I don't go now, I probably won't go at all," he said with a sad smile on his lips.

"And why would that be bad?"

Lucas gave 47 another big hug. He stayed in his arms and seemed to absorb every second that was left. "I have the feeling we're going round in circles argumentatively. The solution of seeing each other now and then is probably still the best."

47 returned the hug, but with a stoic face. "Then why doesn't it feel like the best solution?"

"Because it leaves us both unsatisfied, I guess," Lucas explained, breaking away from the embrace. "But since there's no solution where we're both happy, we'll take the one with the least damage. We'll see what time brings."

There was nothing 47 could do but agree. Lucas kissed 47 sensually on the lips and sighed contentedly as they disengaged.

"See you, 47," he said, winking with a smile.

"See you, 6," 47 replied, earning an amused giggle from Lucas at the number. Finally, he walked down the corridor and disappeared into the lift.

And suddenly it became quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is near! Only two more chapters, then the story about the two of them is finished 🙃  
> Towards the last chapters I found it a bit difficult to find an adequate ending and close all the open ends. But I don't want to say too much - there are still two chapters left! 🥰  
> Thank you all so much for reading! And I hope you will like the next chapters as well!


	14. 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like twists & turns 😎

"We'd best start with Mr Lawson," Diana began to brief her agent. 47 sat quietly with her in the hotel room on one of the two wing chairs, occasionally looking out of the window. It was raining.

Diana packed her small suitcase. She wanted to leave the same day. A business meeting was coming up in Norway. As she neatly folded and packed her few clothes, she continued talking.

"Mr Lawson is a regular at a golf club not far from here. I would suggest you caddy for him this afternoon, what do you think, 47?"

"Sounds good," he replied monotonously and stood up directly.

"47," she sighed and stood beside him, making 47 stop. "This separation seems harder for you than his death back then."

47 looked down at the ground, then at his left hand. The scar had been hurting almost non-stop since yesterday. "When he died, he was gone. There was no other option for me but to accept that he would not come back. Now he's here, but I'm forced to take a different path."

Diana carefully placed her hand in 47's left one. Blue eyes immediately darted up. "I want you to know that it's not up to me. If you should decide to leave Providence...or rather me since I’m kind of bound to his organisation now, for a life here in Plymouth. I won't stop you. I know I can trust you with the knowledge you have."

That made 47’s corners of his mouth twitch. "You wouldn't send a colleague to me?"

"No," Diana said firmly, her eyebrows drawn together as if personally attacked by the question. "If your decision is to stay here, then so be it. I might ask you to finish the Lawson and Rhodes assignments before you retire though."

47 squeezed Diana's hand. Unimaginable a few weeks ago, it was now a gesture he had learned to make. It helped people understand that he cared, even if his facial expressions didn't broadcast that. "I can't. I would endanger him and everyone around us. Besides, I don’t want to leave you. That’s why I came back to you after that year in the first place."

Diana smiled warmly at that but chose not to give a statement to that. She probably knew that 47 had come back mainly because he wanted to use his skills in that very job and Diana was someone he knew and was used to. Nevertheless, she seemed to take 47's confession very much to heart, as for a few moments she just stood there, smiling and squeezing his hand. Finally, she sighed softly and nodded. "Tell me if there's anything I can do."

"Thank you, Diana."

He let go of her hand and left the hotel room. His guns under his jacket rubbed pleasantly against his ribs. Part of him was looking forward to going to the golf course. Another part began to wonder if this was actually what he was supposed to do for the rest of his life.

"Did you really say goodbye?" Olivia's voice came through 47's headset in his ear.

"Yes," 47 said into the cold silence of the street. He was just on his way to the taxi rank to get a ride to the location.

"That's sad," she sighed and said nothing for a while. "Guess we'll be coming here to visit him two or three times a year then."

"Something like that."

Olivia didn't seem to like the solution, although it was what she herself had suggested. As 47 sat in a taxi and drove to the golf club, he heard Olivia sigh once more. "Okay, the golf club isn't very secure. There's some security outside the entrances and outside the private sectors. Lawson is probably somewhere in one of the private areas. They have heated turf there. It's part indoors, part outdoors. His caddy has been looking after him for years, you won't be able to take that place. You don't look alike at all. Lawson would notice that."

47 smirked as he looked out the window of the moving car. "You're helping me today?"

"Diana will be busy flying. Even if she takes her private jet... She seemed kind of tense."

"She doesn't like the fact that I seem indecisive. She's afraid I'll leave her."

"Well, you don't just _seem_ indecisive. You _are_ indecisive, aren't you?"

That made 47 think about it for a moment. He thought about the things he had done with Lucas; like having dinner or going to the zoo. Even if he had enjoyed it, it was not something he could sustain. At least he was convinced that a long-distance relationship was the better solution in the long run. Instead of mourning that it was over, he should be satisfied that Lucas was alive and he had had the chance to live with him in an idyllic world for almost two weeks. In a fantasy that they were two normal people in a normal world. And now the fantasy had come to an end. He needed to come back to reality. A mission was waiting for him, after all. That’s when he concluded: "No. It's for the best."

The golf club itself was posh and filled with very wealthy people. 47's suit made him fit in well with the establishment, although many of them were in white polo shirts and cloth trousers. 47 didn't have to look far and found the security room. He quickly disrobed a security guard and slipped into his clothes.

"Very nice. Now how are you going to get to Lawson?" Olivia's voice came, apparently watching him through the security cameras.

"The same way I got to Caruso." With that, 47 reached into his jacket and pulled out a golf ball. Probably explosive.

Olivia whistled appreciatively. "Golf really can be a dangerous sport."

Lawson was arguing loudly with a lady about how she'd screwed him over. What exactly it was about, 47 didn't know. But he could already see the little basket with the golf balls to serve. He just had to make sure that no civilians were standing around it and might get blown up with it.

While he watched Lawson for a while to get to the basket undisturbed, he probed the man. He was quite short and thin. Apparently, he did a lot of exercise. His hair was thinning. He was probably already in his mid-60s. 47 had not read through the data that closely. Unusual for him, he noticed. Normally he expected the highest precision from himself and others. But this time all that mattered to him was: the guy had to die, so he would die.

Suddenly Lawson got a phone call. He answered it annoyed and finally turned away from the lady, who also turned around annoyed. The basket was now unobserved. With long strides, 47 approached the golf balls and put his own right on top. Lawson hissed nervously into his phone. 47 didn't understand much, but it seemed to be a delicate conversation.

"Are you sure?" he asked in an upset tone. "I don't think that's a good idea. You know what they're like. They'll come... And stop you - you know. _Stop_ you."

That made 47's ears prick up. But when the lady came back and apparently wanted to talk to 47, a.k.a. the security, he had to move away from the scene. She would see through his disguise otherwise.

"No, I don't want anything to do with that. It's bad enough I was involved then. I just want to buy and sell my currency, all right? I don't care who’s running the place now."

Lawson changed from horrified to furious. A choleric man. 47 understood nothing. When he was far enough away, he radioed Olivia.

"Did you get the call?"

"Yes..." she mumbled, apparently already typing furiously. "The line's dead, I can't get in. Must be one of yours."

"Providence?"

"Yeah, Diana should be able to do something, but she's on a plane right now. She won't be able to reach from up there either. And by the time she's landed, I'm sure the guy will have hung up," she laughed nervously. "The only thing I can do is try to put in a jamming signal, so maybe the caller will call back later."

But Lawson had already hung up and angrily put the phone away. Finally, he went back to his golf club and practised a few dry strokes.

"Too late," 47 said, sighing softly. "Maybe I'll get my hands on his phone."

"Won't he blow up in a minute? His phone's in his pocket, it'll get blown away just as much, won't it?"

"Sometimes you get lucky..." Usually 47 didn’t believe in luck. But Lucas always believed in it. Maybe this time it would do some good too.

His scar still hurt from time to time. It was a piercing pain that 47 could hardly relieve with movements. After about 10 minutes, a loud explosion went off. Lawson flew a few metres across the green, while the woman and his caddy flew a few metres to the side. They were only unconscious with a few scratches. Nothing serious. Lawson, on the other hand, was definitely dead. His clothes were still burning.

47 walked with quick steps to the body and felt his trousers. The mobile phone, however, was slowly melting away. No luck then.

When 47 was back in his flat, he immediately took a shower and changed clothes. He dressed thickly and took a walk to the mall.

"I was able to trace the call," Diana's voice came in his ear. When she landed, she was still in the taxi trying to get as much information as possible. Eventually it came out that a call had been made on an old frequency via an old Providence network, which hadn't actually been around for two years. "I guess that's why Ms Hall couldn't trace the call. Because she actually got temporary access."

"Oh, really?" Olivia chortled happily, typing heatedly.

"Ms Hall, if I catch you in any dubious activity, I'll take your access away immediately."

47 climbed expertly onto the roof. By now he knew the way by heart. At the top, he searched for his small bag in the ventilation shaft and squatted against the small wall at the edge of the terrace, despite the wet weather.

"Anyway, that was Mr Rhodes who had called Mr Lawson," Diana explained, sounding mildly surprised. "Unfortunately, the call was not recorded anywhere. Normally, all calls are stored on a secure server for 72 hours to investigate corruption and other illegal dealings that could harm Providence."

"Definitely because it was actually an outdated frequency," Olivia concluded.

"I assume so too. 47, where are you right now? I think we should antedate Rhodes."

"That's a good idea," 47 muttered, putting down the binoculars with a stoic look. "Where's Grey?"

"Isn't he at home?", Olivia inquired and immediately typed on her laptop. "Hmm, you're right. He didn't come home today. Oh, shit, he didn't even go out! He didn't go to nursery today either! His mobile phone is... with the police. Zahra tried to call him several times."

Diana immediately held her breath. 47 grabbed his bag and climbed back down as fast as he could. Instantly he began jogging back down the street to his flat. "Where's Rhodes now?"

"Hold on," Diana muttered, typing as well. Both ladies seemed to be on alert. After the dubious conversation, Luca's mobile phone at the police station and his general absence, 47 also suspected the worst. "He's in a cabin in the woods. I'll send you the details."

"Oh, guys, Lucas didn't come home last night either! He practically disappeared from the scene after he left your flat."

"Rhodes has something to do with it," 47 grumbled, practically sprinting up the stairs to his flat. No time for a lift. He quickly picked up his weapons and took extra ammunition with him.

"47, I'd better send reinforcements. Last time in this forest didn't go well," Diana breathed, presumably watching 47 arm himself to the teeth.

"There's no time for that."

"Don't get careless! I know Mr Grey will probably be there, but we don't know what Mr Rhodes is capable of."

47 looked once more at his bunny, which was sitting dutifully on the sofa. "I won't lose him again."

With that he left his flat and rushed to a car, which he stole. With hot tyres, he drove to the entrance of the forest.

It was enormously gloomy, so 47 had to use his mobile phone to light the way. He followed the coordinates Diana had sent him via satellite. It was completely quiet. Only 47's footsteps over the wet undergrowth could be heard.

"You're almost there," Diana's voice came. "Reinforcements are on their way."

"Tell them to surround the area and not to intervene for now."

Diana probably would have liked to disagree, but seemed surprised by 47's tone of command. "All right. But be careful."

Olivia seemed enormously tense. "This is all so horrible. What if he's already dead?"

"He won't." At least that's what 47 told himself.

The hut was smaller than they thought. 47 watched the cameras hanging from the roof. "Let me guess: An underground passage that will lead to more."

"Correct. The entrance is just to the left of the chimney. Best turn off the cameras first so no one sees you."

47 didn't hesitate and shot each of the cameras off the roof. Despite his silencer, the reverberation rang through the forest. The doors were locked, but 47 simply broke one of the windows. Inside, several guards were already waiting, and they naturally took notice of him.

The situation became chaotic, but 47 handled it with aplomb. He only tried to shoot the men in the arms or legs and then immobilise them with a hammer lying around.

"They're all going to have a real headache tomorrow," Olivia sighs. "Or have brain damage. Boy, the way you hit their heads! Definitely brain damage!"

"Better than killing them," 47 answered and walked to the hatch that led to the underground passage. A wooden ladder led down a few floors. That couldn’t be the only entrance. There had to be another one. But 47 took what he could get. So he climbed down and immediately smelled a chemical odour.

The walls were suddenly made of concrete and the floor of classic linoleum. The smell reminded 47 strongly of a hospital. Or rather, a laboratory. After all, he had been in many to be able to judge.

"What is this place?" Olivia breathed, watching the proceedings through the small camera on 47's button.

"I'm already looking, but I can't find anything."

47 walked down the corridors, removing cameras he came across along the way. A few scientists eventually passed by, chatting, and 47 let his trusty hammer fly.

Then in a lab behind an automatic sliding door, 47 saw the first test tubes and machines.

"Looks like they're making something," Olivia muttered.

"Insulin," 47 replied, turning a few empty vials. A genetic manufacture of insulin. Several plants lined up under daylight. They probably already possessed the gene from the bacterium's genetic material.

Diana seemed surprised. "So this is how Rhodes has maintained his fortune. He's selling illegal insulin."

Olivia's voice went thin. "Do you think Zahra knows about this?"

"Probably not. But we can't rule it out," Diana said, seeming to watch intensely. "Anyway, 47, it'll have to wait. Mr Rhodes has to be in the complex somewhere. If we're lucky, Mr Grey will be there too."

Hopefully, for once, luck was on 47's side. His scar ached and he could only hope Lucas was all right.

The lab was quite huge. Even though it only had one floor, the corridors were wide and the offices and common rooms large. 47 had by now put on a white coat so he could at least walk around the facility without worry.

The further he went, the less hope there was that Rhodes or Lucas were anywhere. Finally, however, he reached a locked complex. A code was needed.

"Olivia?" 47 asked, holding his phone right next to the keypad.

"Hold on. I have to bypass the connection first..." she muttered, typing furiously. Finally, the keypad beeped and the door opened a little. "Done!"

47 immediately reached for his gun and readied himself. "Thank you, Olivia."

The room was clinically white. White cabinets, white equipment and a couple of hospital beds in the middle. And there _he_ was.

Lucas was tied to one. He was hooked up to an IV and seemed just barely conscious.

"47," he breathed, trying to lift his head. His hands and feet were tied to the bed. He was wearing a white cotton shirt and white cloth trousers. "Don't..."

The situation reminded the agent far too much of the forest, although Lucas wasn’t sitting in front of a tree and no CICADA soldiers had surrounded them either. Lucas moaned another "Go away", but 47 ignored him and slowly approached.

A gun barrel came out from behind a white shelf. Rhodes pointed it directly at Lucas’s head. The middle-aged man with partly grey hair came into the room with slow steps. Security guards now appeared behind 47. They held HX-10. Even if the weapon was not accurate, it was still deadly at a distance. 47 was surrounded with no way out.

"Drop the gun," Rhodes demanded and moved his head towards 47, who was still holding onto his Silverballer. "Or I'll shoot him in the head and make sure he doesn't get up _again_."

With that he pressed the barrel against Luca's temple. He moaned out in a daze and clenched his hands into fists. The drug in the drip seemed to make him this dizzy.

Cautiously, 47 raised his arms and lowered his gun to the ground. "What exactly are you hoping to achieve with this, Mr Rhodes?" he asked in a calm voice.

"What am I hoping to achieve with this? To save my life!" he sneered. "Ever since this... this worm here entered my life, I have been waiting for this day! I knew you would find him eventually. It was only a matter of time!"

47 remained calm, still holding his hands up. Lucas, on the other hand, looked at his friend with an agonised gaze. If he could speak decently, 47 knew what he would say: exactly the same as in the forest two years ago. No matter if with or without memories.

"You're ill-prepared for that then," 47 had to admit, scanning the room for ways to get Lucas and himself out of this mess in one piece.

"You think so? I've got your not-so-cute lover here and I can blow his brains out any time I want and tell everyone you killed him. And yourself afterwards, of course. Neither you nor he will leave this room alive if I say so."

"If you were going to kill Grey anyway, why didn't you do it already?"

47 was stalling. He heard Diana and Olivia typing frantically in his ear. One of them would come up with a solution.

Rhodes ran his tongue over his lips. His grip on the gun was spasmodic. "I was going to use him for myself. When the Constant died, the job of looking after Grey died with him. But I didn't want to just kill him. You don't just throw away such a capable man who was basically trained like a machine."

"I'm about to close the door, 47, so you'll be alone with Rhodes and two guards. Can you handle that? I probably can't keep the door closed for long. They'll have a card to overwrite," Olivia's voice rang in his ear tensely.

"Yes," 47 said loudly enough. Rhodes looked at him contemptuously.

"So I kept him. I just had to wait for the best chance to get him back to training. Unfortunately, there was still the issue with you guys having the antiserum. The lab was destroyed by Grey himself, of course, and the presumably last doses are in your filthy fingers. But I was willing to take the risk. After all you believed him dead."

When 47 pushed his eyebrows together but said nothing else, Rhodes laughed dirty. "Oh, right! You guys only know the doctor's report, I guess. Otherwise, you would have come up with the idea of giving Grey the antiserum long ago! This man didn't blow his memory. Just a part of his tongue and his eye. You disgusting mutants are the scariest things I've ever seen. The bullet lodged in his brain. Right where his speech centre and coordination were. Yeah, he had some trouble talking at first, but everyone thought it was because of his tongue. Then he liked to run into walls or fall down because his motor skills were also limited. But everyone thought it was because of the missing eye. So no one ever questioned the fact that he couldn't remember anything. Because that must be it, right? A bullet like that has to have some kind of effect on the brain, yeah? Even Grey believed it. I was simply instructed to inject him with the advanced serum while he was still on the operating table. Which I did. And voilà, Grey became a normal man. Vulnerable. Tiny. A nobody. It was so satisfying to see him work in a fucking kindergarten."

"Shall I wait a bit longer, 47?" Olivia asked in a shaky voice. "Let the bastard tell his whole plan before he finally bites the dust!"

47 exhaled noisily and said nothing. His heart rate got up and he felt anger inside of him rising. "Your daughter works in a kindergarten. Why do you bring such a dangerous man to her side?"

"Oh, my daughter," Rhodes said mockingly, wiggling his arm constantly so that the barrel of the gun slid next to Luca's face at times. "She's such a free spirit and doesn't know how good she has it with all the money I give her! Let her have some fun there. Sooner or later, she'll take over all of this and then it'll be the end of her partying. And what better bodyguard than a loyal best friend with special ops training? At least that way she always got home safe."

"I hope, he's aware of the duality," Olivia growled, seeming to be on 180. Diana was surprisingly calm. But she always was in these situations. She was probably just waiting for 47 to call in the reinforcements. Or she was already planning her own plan to help 47 and Lucas.

"You took a chance on us giving him the serum."

"Yes, unfortunately," Rhodes admitted. "I was too busy with my business to notice you. You're good. But just not good enough. You got sloppy. Got drunk on my daughter's birthday and made out in a corner with your boyfriend, while I visited her. Careless."

"He was there? Shit, I didn't see him either!" Olivia muttered, immediately appearing to go through the camera footage.

47 could already hear Diana's lecture. She had told him that he had become too careless. Now he had to pay the price. Or rather, Lucas had to.

"Ms Hall," Daina intervened suddenly. "Close the door. 47, finish this and try to pull Mr Grey into the next room. It's where Mr Rhodes came out. Behind the shelf seems to be the door. Backup's here and approaching the area. They should be with you in about 10 minutes."

"Whatever," Rhodes began almost immediately after Diana had finished her sentence, smiling wryly. "I'm going to give you a dose now too and then I'll have two silly little agents in my hands. And Ms Burnwood, I know you're listening. You won't be getting your agent back. It's time for things to change. You've been on the job long enough. I know exactly what you're up to. You want to bring us down, but old hands like us aren't so easy to get dead!"

"Mr Lawson is already down," 47 said dryly. "So will you."

Olivia finally closed the door. The security men on the corridor were still trying to squeeze through quickly. One managed it, leaving three guards behind 47. One immediately approached 47 while Rhodes stood by the bedside, completely irritated, watching the scene. 47 grabbed the man's arm and snatched the gun from him. Concentrating, he aimed at Rhodes’s hand and shot the gun away. A finger flew through the air with it.

Lucas looked around startled through half-open eyes. He could not move and bullets were flying above him. 47 was forced to take out the security guards first. Rhodes, meanwhile, fell to the ground holding his bleeding hand. He cursed loudly and finally crawled away from Lucas into a secluded area of the room.

47 quickly rushed to him and shot the shackles loose. They would take care of the bands that were still on his ankles and wrists later. Somewhat roughly, he pulled the needle out of Grey's arm. The vein bled immediately, but Lucas didn't seem to mind. He gasped and tried to sit up.

"Can you walk?" 47 asked, holding him tightly by the arm.

Lucas nodded, though not very convincingly. Before he could slide off the bed, however, the door opened. Several security men came rushing in, firing at eye contact. Lucas was pushed ungracefully by 47 from the other side of the bed so that he was protected. 47 was hit a few times, but he dutifully ignored the pain.

This time he took no care not to kill the guards. He shot them one by one in the head. He wanted to get himself and Lucas to safety. Any guard with a gun was one risk too many.

Of course, the alarm went off immediately. Workers and scientists screamed and ran down the corridor to escape. This alarmed more guards in their direction. 47 did his best not to let anyone even near the room.

Eventually, 47 managed to bring most of them to the ground. One guard lost his gun, but managed to hit him several times in the face. His nose began to bleed and his head hurt. But 47 ignored any body signals and shot the man in the chest.

All of a sudden Rhodes came at him. He saw him in the corner of his eye and was about to dodge, when the lead pipe had already hit him. 47 fell hard to the floor and hit his head on a shelf. He crawled away as best as he could, but the world was still spinning far too much for him to find his bearings. His gun, meanwhile, had been flung away.

"This ends here now," Rhodes shouted, completely out of breath. His hand was still bleeding and his face was white as a sheet. Nevertheless, he took another swing and was about to press the lead pipe into 47's face when Lucas grabbed the man from behind, put both hands around his head and twisted it once with force until a loud crack was heard.

Rhodes immediately went down. His eyes were still open. The lead pipe rolled under one of the beds. Lucas was swaying rather unsteadily on his feet – not quite by himself yet – but seemed to have known exactly what he had done.

"He deserved it," he breathed as to comfort himself of what he just did and walked with bare feet across the blood-covered floor to 47, who slowly sat up. Loud voices could be heard in the corridor, but no gunshots. The reinforcements were there. Diana must have sent them immediately into the facility after hearing through the microphone what had happened.

Lucas helped 47 up to his feet. His eyes suddenly became moist. Before 47 had to see his friend cry, he took him tightly in his arms and pressed him against his chest. The gesture felt so different until 47 realised that – for the first time ever – it was him who initiated a hug. That didn't stop Lucas’s tears from rolling down his neck, however.

For a brief moment, 47 also felt the moisture shoot into his eyes. Could it be? After so many years?

But before a tear could roll down his cheek, he felt simply relieved that this time the situation in the forest had been different. And Lucas was in his arms. _Alive_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost the end guuuys 💔  
> But I hope you enjoyed it so far! I will try to upload the next episode tomorrow!


	15. 15

It was a comforting and reassuring moment. Even though every bone and muscle ached. 47 sat with Diana, Olivia and Lucas in his flat. Lukas the bunny sat on his lap and was dutifully petted by 47. The other Lucas, meanwhile, was being examined by Diana, who had brought some equipment so that none of them would have to go to a hospital. She had immediately jumped back into the private jet and returned from Norway. Even before she collected 47 and Lucas with a special unit from the facility, she sent clean-up workers to get rid of the mess they made. The illegal insulin was immediately confiscated.

Olivia just stood by and stared at her partner in crime with wide, relieved eyes. Lucas sat obediently on one of the bar stools and let everything wash over him. Every now and then he blinked at 47 and smiled gently.

When everyone was taken care of, Lucas sat down with 47 and leaned against him. Diana and Olivia each took a chair and joined them at the living room table in front of the large window. It was snowing again and the snow glistened in the light of the lanterns like little stars. It was 3 o'clock in the morning by now, but no one was thinking of going to bed.

"Mr Grey," Diana began, taking another deep breath as if she didn't know how to approach the next subject. "As we learned from Mr Rhodes, the reason you can't remember your past is because you were treated with the same serum as 47. Or at least a serum of the same kind. It seems they didn't trust your accident and wanted to help things along."

"With success," Lucas agreed, pressing his lips together. "And I can guess what you want me to say now."

"A choice, Mr Grey," Diana said sternly. "You still have the choice to leave things as they are and go back to your life. Zahra Rhodes will learn of her father's death tomorrow. We make it look like an accident. I'm sure she'd like her best friend to be there then."

"Oh yes," Lucas sighed and immediately looked down at the floor. He was still as white as a sheet and the bags under his eyes hung almost to the corners of his mouth. "But I wonder if she'd want her father's killer with her?" He looked at his hands with which he had done the deed. "It was pretty easy to take a human life. Yet until a few days ago I wasn't so sure I could kill at all."

"It gets easier with each kill," 47 said dryly, continuing to petted the bunny.

Lucas smiled amusedly, if pinchedly. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear, 47, thank you."

Before 47 could say anything back, Olivia intervened. "Lucas, your memories may not seem valuable to you, but... even if you have them, you can stay here, right? Although, of course, it would be nicer... you'd come with us. Or at least with me. Although I don't want to compete with 47. I think I'd lose."

Lucas chuckled darkly, but said nothing for the moment. He reached for 47's hand without looking at him. Finally, he saw resolutely at Diana. "Do you have the serum here?"

"Not yet. It was in a safe in Siberia. But it should be there in the morning. We can inject it then."

Lucas nodded. "Does it hurt?" he asked 47 quietly.

"Probably," he answered softly. He knew that Lucas did not mean the process of the injection, but the recurrence of the memories. For someone with emotions, reliving gruesome acts could indeed be painful.

His friend just nodded mutely. The smile, which was probably cemented on his lips by the shock until now, slowly disappeared and was replaced by a thoughtful look.

"You can sleep on it," Diana announced and finally stood up. "I'm going back to the hotel now. Olivia too."

Olivia looked around, startled. "Yeah? I'm going to the hotel too? Oh - _oh_ , yeah sure, I'm going to the hotel too, yeah." She quickly stood up as well and pushed the chair aside. "Then you can talk some more, right?"

"Thank you, Olivia," Lucas said quietly, making another effort at a smile. He was getting tired. 47 was also beginning to feel his limbs getting heavier.

The two ladies quickly said their goodbyes. Olivia hugged Lucas tightly and 47 more carefully. His wounds were still fresh. Finally, silence entered the room once more.

"Are you staying?" 47 asked, turning to his friend who was leaning against the kitchen counter.

Instantly he nodded. "I'd hate to spend the night alone in my flat. I feel a little safer here. With you by my side."

47’s mouth twitched. "Glad to hear you feel safe in my presence."

"I'm beginning to see why I'm one of the few who feel that way. You kill like a machine."

Both men stood in silence for a moment. The air became stifling. 47 eyed his friend for a while who looked away as if to avoid eye contact on purpose. "Is that so bad? It’s who I am after all."

Lucas looked into 47's eyes for a few more moments, as if he needed to think about it. Lastly, he shook his head. "Who am I to judge? I'm the same, apparently. After all, I killed my lifesaver today. My best friend's father."

"You helped me."

"Right. That's why I did it." Lucas smiled and finally held out his hand. "Let's go to bed."

47 reached for the rough hand and allowed himself to be escorted to bed. They undressed and lay under the covers with only their underwear. Lucas's warm skin felt good, even if 47 barely felt it through his many bandages.

"Diana said you disappeared right after you left my flat," 47 whispered into the dark room, lit only by the reflected light of the snow. "What happened?"

"Rhodes intercepted me. He was standing not far from your flat, maybe two streets away. He was typing on his phone, pretending to be busy somehow. Then he saw me and waved me over. Well, and why shouldn't I go to him? I've met him a thousand times before. He smiled at me and offered to drive me home. I declined with thanks, but he insisted. So I sat in the car with him and let him drive me a few streets. Stupid, wasn't I?"

"You didn't know what he was up to."

"I knew from you, though, that something fishy was going on with him. He belonged to a strange organisation that is actually evil. I could have been at least a little suspicious of him."

47 didn't know how to respond to that. So he simply said nothing. Lucas's hand gently caressed his as they both just stared at the ceiling. The little bunny sat between them.

"Anyway," Lucas sighed, "he injected something into my neck. His chauffeur seemed to be in on it. That was the first moment I got nervous. But since my lights went out pretty quickly and I didn't wake up until I was in this weird lab, I haven’t had much chance to think about it."

"You were there for almost a whole day. I'm sorry it took so long."

"47, I'm glad you came at all. Officially, it was our goodbye. You had no reason to come looking for me."

"You weren’t at home. And your phone was at the police station. Zahra was worried. Something was wrong."

"Yeah, I guess the phone slipped out of my pocket when I got into the car. Pretty stupid coincidence that apparently saved my life."

"I hope Rhodes didn't torture you," 47 whispered into the dark room.

"No," Lucas assured his friend. "He barely talked to me, actually. Or I didn't really notice any of it. I kept falling asleep. In general, I hardly had any sense of time. You could have told me now that I'd been down there for two or three days. I would have believed you."

47 growled in frustration that he could not prevent Lucas's kidnapping, although it would not have been possible in the first place. Lucas bit his lower lip for a moment until he squeezed 47's hand tighter, taking a breath. "Do you think he had it all planned from the beginning? He was always so nice to me, albeit reserved. I never got the feeling he wanted to hurt me. It all seemed so surreal. Like Rhodes had an evil twin."

"At least he had a plan. Whether it was the one he carried out in the end remains unclear. Rhodes was expecting me to come. He was going to use us both for himself."

Lucas turned his head to 47. "Do you think he would have injected that serum again? Into both of us? To train us for whatever he needed us? He didn't do it two years ago... why would he have changed his plans?"

"Two agents are better than one, I guess." 47 turned his head to his friend as well. "He was probably afraid I'd be on the doormat faster if he used you professionally. Both Diana and I would have noticed that, with such a well-trained soldier running around all of a sudden."

Lucas smiled faintly. "Then I'm almost grateful to him for letting me live a peaceful life for so long." But his smile did not remain for long. Finally, he turned around again and looked thoughtfully into the dark room. "You told me that you remembered me when you saw me for the first time after your memory loss. Or at least when I reminded you of the scar. It didn't work for me. I still can't remember anything. Do you think it was a different serum he gave me?"

"Maybe. Since the thirty years had passed since my injection, Providence was certainly working on the serum's effects."

47 felt Lucas's hand squeeze his tightly. "What if the antiserum doesn't work tomorrow?"

"I'm sure it will."

Lucas seemed minimally convinced. But he let the subject drop and presumably lost himself in his thoughts.

At this, 47 turned his head back again. They both continued staring at the ceiling, holding hands. Actually, 47 wanted to ask what Lucas would decide after regaining his memories. Since he still cherished the normal life so much. But he decided against it. After all he had to remember first and then decide what to do next. So, he just closed his eyes. At some point he fell asleep, not knowing if Lucas could find some sleep as well.

The next morning, 47 woke up earlier than Lucas and prepared some coffee. He conjured up a small breakfast from the leftovers he still had in the fridge. After half an hour, he came back into the bedroom and carefully woke his friend.

He turned over with a smile and buried his face in the pillow. "I smell coffee..."

"It is coffee."

"Mh," Lucas hummed, stretching under the covers. He reached playfully for 47's arm and pulled him into the warm bed. Carefully, the agent leaned into the mattress. His wounds still hurt a little, but thanks to his quick regeneration, it was considerably less.

Lucas pressed his face against 47's white shirt. He seemed to be slowly falling back asleep. "Do you want to lie down some more?" 47 asked quietly.

"No. I'm getting up now," Lucas mumbled tiredly and opened his eyes. Carefully, he caressed 47's face with his hand. "Is there anything to eat?"

"Yoghurt with dried fruit and cereal with orange juice and an egg."

Lucas laughed softly. "What did I expect? Honestly, you're amazing..."

47 remembered the daft magazine in which they promised that you can win the man of your dreams by cooking for him. If Lucas was so happy about regular meals, 47 would be willing to get into the kitchen more often. As long as he chose his memories with it and 47's world. And thus, chose indirectly for him.

As they both sat at the kitchen counter eating their breakfast, 47 watched his friend eating his cereal. The sun showed itself again and shone happily into the flat. Lucas’s files and some of Olivia's electronic devices were still on the living room table. Lukas was allowed to sit next to the other Lucas on the kitchen counter. On the sofa were still yesterday's clothes. On the floor next to the entrance were the dirty shoes.

The flat was so different to the beginning of the trip. Back then it had been sterile and neutral. Now it had become a home.

As 47 stared into his cereal for a long time without saying anything, Lucas pushed the little rabbit towards 47 and dropped his little nose against his arm. "What's wrong?" he asked cautiously. "You look sad."

"I don't know what to do," 47 said honestly, looking into his friend's green eyes.

For once, Lucas didn't seem to fully understand what was going on in the agent's mind. "What do you mean? What is there to do for you?"

47 put the spoon back in the cereal bowl. "Do I stay here or do I leave?"

Green eyes widened. "I thought staying wasn't an option?"

"It's not," 47 whispered, "But being here, with you, feels good."

Lucas smiled and leaned on the counter. "That’s wonderful to hear. It is nice here. Your place is definitely better than mine. And your bed is more comfortable. But your sofa is awful. Mine has more charm."

His friend looked at him questioningly.

"I've made my decision, 47, but if you change your mind now... Then I might also change mine."

That made 47 curious. "What's your decision?"

"I'll take the serum. And then we'll see." Lucas tried to smile. "I'm afraid of what there will be. But I'm also curious. Now that I know I can get my memory back just like that... it would be ignorant not to do so. Before, the decision was to jump into your world with my current level of knowledge or stay in mine. And now that I've seen what your world can look like... I'd still stay here. But I might change my mind. Who knows? Maybe I want to go back as a killing machine."

47 nodded in agreement. Still, he continued to look gloomily into his cereal bowl. "You'll remember everything. The good things and probably a lot of bad things."

"I suppose there were a lot of them."

"Yes."

Lucas pressed his lips together. "What matters is now, right? You're here. Olivia. And Diana, your handler. Though I have to admit she's still a little suspicious to me."

47 smirked. "She always was to you."

Lucas laughed softly and continued eating his breakfast. 47 also finished eating and inwardly hoped that all would go well.

Diana arrived at the flat promptly at 10am with a briefcase. She was accompanied by Olivia and three security guards. The latter, however, were told to wait outside the flat.

"Is this really necessary?" Lucas asked a little nervously, watching as the door closed and the guards stayed outside. With their guns.

"This serum is probably one of the last doses. You not only destroyed the facility back then, but also the scientist who developed it," she sighed, placing the briefcase on the kitchen counter. "We took a sample before we moved it here and are trying to make a similar remedy. In case either of you gets injected with a forgetting serum again. Let’s just hope it doesn’t become a regular."

"Hopefully," Olivia murmured, joining Lucas right next to him. "Ready?"

"I guess," he said tensely, wrestling a smile. Immediately he looked to 47 and reached for his hand. "Hold my hand, okay? I need the mental and physical support. You guys make me damn nervous with this stuff."

47 dutifully joined his friend and held his hand. They walked to the sofa and got into position. Diana was already standing next to them with the cannula. Quickly, 47 reached for the bunny and placed it on Lucas’s lap.

"A quick inoculation," Diana joked, handing 47 the serum. Surprised he took it and had to let go of Lucas’s hand for that. "He gave you back your memories. Now you can do the same for him."

"How poetic," Lucas chuckled, watching as 47 took the needle in his hand. Carefully, he placed it against Lucas’s neck. They looked at each other for a while. In the end, Lucas placed his now free hand on 47's leg. "See you soon."

With a quick click, the liquid flowed down Lucas’s neck. He exhaled noisily and squinted his eyes for a moment. When 47 took the cannula away, he opened them again. They waited a few seconds until Lucas laughed cautiously.

"I kind of expected more," he admitted, raising both eyebrows.

"It takes a little time. Memories come in spurts," 47 explained. "You should remember most of it in a few hours. Some memories won't come back for a few days."

"Can we order a pizza in the meantime? Haven't eaten today," Olivia asked quietly as she sat on the white carpet. Diana looked at her as if wanting to say “ _Young Lady, this is neither the time nor the right place to order pizza right now. Especially not, when guards are outside the flat_ ”.

47 pointed to the kitchen. "There's still some of this morning's breakfast in the fridge."

Curious, Oliva got up and searched through the leftovers. Diana sat down at the kitchen counter and opened her laptop. "If you don't mind, I'd like to answer a few emails. 47, you keep an eye on Mr Grey."

47 nodded dutifully and was about to reach for Lucas's hand when he stood up.

"I'll go to the bedroom for a moment, okay?" he said quietly, trying hard to smile. But his eyes showed that he was on edge. The memories seemed to come back. _Hard_. "I think I need some rest."

No one stopped him, but watched as he went into the bedroom and closed the door. 47 immediately reached for Lukas and petted him manically.

"I'm sure that's a normal reaction," Diana placated her agent. "He feels everything. I imagine there are a lot of memories in him that are none of our business. Let's check on him in a few minutes."

The 53 minutes - 47 counted exactly - were agonising and took their toll on his psyche. Diana knocked a few times and asked through the closed door if Lucas was alright. Whatever came back from the other side of that door made Diana leave it again and go back to her laptop.

After those 53 minutes Lucas came out of the bedroom. His eyes were red. Presumably he had been crying. Everyone stood haphazardly in the room while Lucas took a closer look at everyone. It was a strange moment, because no one could say how he would react now. His face however was that of a man who has seen a lot. Every feature of his face had hardened, giving off the typically frightening aura he had always had. Subject 6 was back.

Olivia was the first to approach Lucas. Without waiting much for a reaction, she opened her arms and hugged him tightly. Apparently, she had nothing to lose. Lucas’s features smoothed immediately. He embraced her as well and closed his eyes. Both Diana and 47 breathed a sigh of relief.

"Do you remember me again?" she asked softly.

"Yes, Olivia. It's good to see you again," he breathed, stroking her back.

"It's good to have you back, Mr Grey," Diana said in her typical professional tone. But you could tell she was really glad to have Lucas back on the team. It was probably a load off her mind too.

"Are you okay?" Olivia asked as she slowly pulled away from him. Her face was full of concern. "After everything that happened..."

"It was a lot," he admitted, clenching his hands into fists. But as quickly as he had tightened them, he loosened them again. "A lot of anger. A lot of sadness. And a big dose of revenge. The whole thing still seems like someone else's story. But I know it's mine. I remember the night in the forest. And everything before that. I’m more than glad that the Constant is dead now, though. Lesser so that Providence is still there. Although infiltrated by my friends." His voice became much harder by the end of his sentence. He didn’t approve at all, but apparently didn’t want to start a discussion right now.

"But there was good stuff in your memories too, right?" Olivia did her best to cheer him up. Wide-eyed, she looked at him. "We had a lot of good times. Remember that one night when we went to the movies, but the movie was dumb, so you snuck into the little room behind the theatre and switched the film?"

Lucas lighted up for a quick moment. "Yeah, I remember that. Good thing there was only one other couple in the room with us."

Olivia laughed. "They also thought the movie was stupid, after all." She punched Lucas affectionately on the arm. "Or where we went ice skating and you fell over every time you touched the ice for the first five minutes? You'd think someone like you could do anything, but ice skating... that really took you down!"

Even Diana began to smile cautiously as Lucas and Olivia giggled together about old stories. Olivia almost didn't stop to tell old and funny stories until Diana cleared her throat and closed her laptop noisily. Immediately Olivia looked confusedly at her, then at 47, who was standing quietly by the sofa, not moving from the spot. He said nothing and did nothing, but simply stared in the direction of his partner, whose smile was slowly fading.

"Sorry," Olivia murmured, letting go of Lucas's arm. She took a few steps back until she was standing next to Diana at the kitchen counter. She watched the two men with wide eyes. Diana also seemed to have tensed every muscle.

Lucas drew in some air through his nose and moved towards 47. His pace was slow and kind of daunting.

"Where were you watching me from?" he asked quietly but with a stoic face. 47 blinked a few times, not knowing what Lucas was getting at.

"From a rooftop terrace at the mall one street away."

Lucas nodded and took a few more steps towards 47. His expression was inscrutable. "I take it Olivia hacked my phone?"

When he turned to her once more, she bit her lip apologetically. But Lucas didn’t seem to mind. He just wanted confirmation.

"You killed Mr Marsh and that's where you came across me. What a stupid coincidence," he muttered, finally standing beside 47, who clenched his fists tensely. "And then you play with me instead of confronting me. You realised immediately that I didn't remember you, yet you kept up the charade. Even came to the club again. Disguised as a bartender. Serving me drinks. As if I was one of your targets."

Both ladies looked tensely at the scene. 47 felt his heartbeat quicken. Lucas didn't make a face.

"And then you also pretended to be a single father of a three-year-old daughter. Zahra really freaked out when she heard that. Actually, it was her who sent you all those messages. I’m not good at writing. But you probably already know that. Olivia is the best at what she does, after all."

"Yes," 47 replied soundlessly.

Lucas literally eyed his friend from top to bottom. Finally, he reached for 47's white collar and played with the hem while fixing his own hands doing so. "And then the whole thing escalates in a romantic direction. We’ve flirted like two lovebirds. And instead of correcting the situation, you just ran with it."

47 didn't know what to do. He had guessed that Lucas might disagree with the development after receiving his memories. After all, they had been acquaintances. Friends and perhaps something like brothers, considering they had grown up together. The boundaries were floating, so 47 couldn't be sure if he hadn’t gone overboard. After all, he had exploited Lucas's memory loss for his own purposes.

"Then there was this back and forth. Very cinematic. Who would have thought we could be so romantic? In a zoo with butterflies. Thinking about it now – 47, you really surprise me. I knew there was still a soft side in you. The one they wanted to get rid of when you were a child. But this exceeds my expectations. You really went to some lengths there. Just to win me over.”

Lucas still didn’t smile. Quite the opposite: his voice was calm but controlled. 47 expected a punch in the face or in the pit of the stomach at any moment. Instinctively, he tensed his muscles.

“And then my kidnapping! I was a real damsel in distress. Can you imagine?" Lucas suddenly laughed, but immediately became serious again. Finally, he looked up and gazed deeply into 47's blue eyes. "But you know what still makes me wonder about all of this?"

47 shook his head cautiously. Diana and Olivia almost held their breath. It was _so_ quiet.

Lucas pushed his eyebrows together and looked sternly at 47. "That you're probably the worst flirter in the entire history of the world and I still fell for you head over heels."

Olivia immediately giggled quietly at that punchline. Even Diana began to smirk. Only 47 was still looking wide-eyed like a deer in front of some headlights at Lucas, who was also starting to smile.

He immediately put both hands on 47's cheeks. "Even as a kid, I had a crush on you. You were my everything. And you still are. Guess whatever memories or knowledge I have; I'm chasing after you." He began to laugh softly. 47 was still standing like a pillar of salt beside the sofa with his head in Lucas's hands. It was as if he had missed an inside joke. When even Olivia carefully put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, 47 pushed his eyebrows together.

Lucas caressed 47's cheeks with his thumbs to calm him. "We're laughing because you look like I'm about to eat you."

"Like the first time you kissed him, where he looked like he was about to drop dead!" Olivia joined in, continuing to giggle in amusement. Diana blinked amusedly at the kitchen table, as if she didn't want to look directly to the scene because she was afraid to start laughing like the others. She was probably happy that Lucas didn’t punch 47 in the face or stomach.

"I always told you he was delightful in his own way," Lucas turned without letting go of 47. “Very cute when it counts.”

Olivia immediately rolled her eyes. "I know. You always said that. But... I'm just now understanding what you mean. All the time before? He was just a killer machine."

"I'm not cute," 47 finally found his voice.

Lucas immediately turned and smiled gently. "Yes, you are." With that, he leaned over and kissed 47 lovingly on the lips.

"Ugh, okay, I think I've seen enough of that the last days," Olivia groaned and immediately grabbed her laptop. "If I want to see two boomers making out, I'll be in touch."

"I’m glad you both got that settled then. But what's the plan now? Will you stay? Or will you come with us?" Diana asked, looking around the room expectantly. Before Olivia could leave, she turned around curiously as well. Probably she had already forgotten that Lucas still had the freedom to decide.

Lucas ended the gentle kiss and looked 47 in the eyes for a while. It was time to decide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally forgot that I had another chapter planned, so I will upload two chapters at once since I promised to end the story today 😬
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter so far! It was very difficult to imagine how Lucas would react to his old memories. I hope he wasn't too ooc...


	16. 16

47 stood further afar from the scene and watched the funeral. Diana had left the last week and was now finally attending her appointment in Norway. Olivia had also disappeared and was going back to Copenhagen to get the rest of her things. After that, she would go on a little tour in Europe with a couple of hackers. In a month they would all meet up in Mauritius. A holiday after everything that have happened. It was the wish of mainly Olivia. She couldn't wait, while Diana had sighed in agreement, though she was looking forward to a bit of a holiday as well, and 47 knew he'd have to pack plenty of sunscreen to avoid ending up red like a crab.

Lucas stood next to Zahra Rhodes at her father's funeral. He held her in his arms as she looked sadly into the grave. The priest said a few more warm words and finally let the coffin slide into the grave, decorated with many flowers. Some other relatives stood around and watched the scenario. Everyone finally placed another flower in the grave until Zahra used the last moments to say goodbye to her father. Most of the guests were already walking back to their cars to go to the funeral feast. Lucas waited for Zahra, glancing now and then at 47, who was standing a few metres away. While Zahra was still crying a few tears, Lucas approached him to give her some privacy. 47 came a few steps towards him.

"I hate funerals," Lucas admitted, looking at Zahra with his arms crossed. "It just opens up wounds, doesn't it?"

"People need it to say goodbye."

"Well… guess we’re different. After all, there was no funeral for me. And you still were able to move on."

47 pushed his eyebrows together. "I've already apologised for that. Would you like another apology?"

"You can apologise for the next few days by cooking me nice meals," Lucas joked, kissing 47 lovingly on the cheek. "You know I'm not mad at you for that. After all, that's how I was found and now I'm back by your side. If you had buried me, I would really have died. Without a proper funeral, everything ended quite well for me."

Zahra suddenly knelt down beside the grave and began to speak. 47 and Lucas did not understand her words, but also thought it best to keep their distance.

"She misses him a lot, although the relationship between them had been rather unlovingly," Lucas explained, looking at his friend. "But she has no one now. Only one brother left, but he doesn't seem to want anything to do with her or the family. He didn't come to the funeral today either."

"Where's the mother?"

"Died in a car accident when Zahra was little. And the other hunter, Lawson? He was her godfather. Pretty bad he's gone, too."

"It had to be done."

Lucas nodded mutely. "I just feel sorry for her. Her father's killer and her godfather's killer are at the funeral and she doesn't know it."

"If she ever wants revenge, she's welcome to contact us."

47's dry manner made Lucas grin. "Yes. We'll be ready."

Although 47 was officially only an appendage of Lucas, he was allowed to come along to the funeral feast. It took place in a very fancy hotel. The food was lavishly served on a buffet while waiters read every wish from their lips. 47 could hardly take his eyes off Lucas, who stood in a plain black suit with a dark blue tie and a wine glass next to the other posh guests. With his hair combed back and his well-groomed beard, he looked really handsome. 47 had to admit he might have fallen deeper for his partner than originally thought.

"If you keep staring at me like that, the guests will think you want to drown me in the toilet later," Lucas whispered in 47's direction, grinning.

"I thought an intense stare showed interest in the other person?"

Lucas laughed softly and took a sip of his wine. "Not with you, 47, but I know you're staring because you think the suit is good-looking."

"I think you're good-looking," 47 said as bluntly as he could, causing Lucas to almost choke on the wine. Proud of himself, 47 also took a sip of his champagne. Olivia's flirt tips were beginning to pay off.

Zahra thanked everyone for coming and opened the buffet. Many guests stuffed their stomachs and expressed their condolences at the same time. In the end, Zahra didn't get to eat anything herself because everyone wanted to lick her boots.

"She has inherited a lot. People smell it," Lucas grumbled, shaking his head as he held 47's hand under the table. Since he had gotten his memories back, he was still very eager for physical contact. But then again: he had always been the one touching 47 constantly. He probably liked it. And 47 began to accept it; if not enjoy it.

"Wasn't she going to donate a big amount to the kindergarten?"

"Yes," Lucas confirmed. "She owns the property now. So no investor can pull it out from under our asses for now. The children will get new toys and we want to build a new section on the muddy site next to the football field. That way we can take in more children and hire more teachers."

47 paid very meticulous attention to Lucas's choice of words. " _We_? Haven't you told her yet?"

That made Lucas sigh softly and look guiltily into his glass. "No. She lost her father. If she lost me at the same time as well, it would destroy her. In... a week or two, then I'll tell her we're moving away or something like that. Maybe you got a new job somewhere and I go along with you."

"Sounds like a good lie. Where are we moving to?"

"Where do you want to go?" Lucas asked smugly, smiling at his friend. "The world is open to us, isn't it? We've never been so free."

For a moment 47 considered, then smiled back. "Let's enjoy the month in rainy Plymouth first. Then we'll enjoy three weeks in Mauritius."

Lucas laughed and fondled 47's hand with his thumb. "We'll probably be sick of everything by then and bored to death. I imagine we'll be begging Diana to get an assignment or two."

"Very likely."

"Although I'm still not entirely convinced by her way of bringing Providence down. Not only has it taken her more than two years to even get her first successes, she's still sitting in the position like it was made for her."

47 knew Lucas would hit the roof as soon as he found out Diana was the new Constant. "Providence will be destroyed and at the same time probably never completely disappear. There will always be people trying to control the world. Diana is currently trying to knock all the power-hungry people off the ladder so that an organisation like the old Providence can't arise again. I'd rather have someone like Diana sitting in a position like that than someone else. And we can assume that once Providence is largely destroyed and Diana abdicates as a Constant, someone else will take the reins."

Lucas continued to seem unconvinced. He drew his eyebrows together and exhaled with strain. "I'm already aware that Diana is doing her best and is not in danger of exploiting the power she has been given after two years. She is a good friend - to all of us. Nevertheless, I take a critical view of the power structures she occupies. Because where is the limit, 47? I remember the conversation with Olivia in my flat when I couldn't remember anything from my past. It wasn't clear to me who were the good guys and who were the bad guys in this game. I realise now that there is no good and no bad. But at the moment we have just changed the people within Providence. Now we don't have wealthy families sitting in those positions, but an analyst, a hacker and two assassins. I don't know if that's so much better. Don't we just impose our views on people and expect them to bow to us? Like the old farts did?"

Of course, Lucas wasn't wrong. 47 - although he was not interested in politics - saw the parallels with the old organisation. Nevertheless, he would not abandon Diana. She had, after all, put her old employer and her old life on the line for him and Lucas. "Diana knows what she's doing. Sooner or later Providence will fall. And if we form a new organisation that tries to stay neutral like the ICA, so be it."

Lucas smiled faintly and finally nodded. "I will probably come back to this subject and nag as often as possible to remind you of the paradox we’re practicing. At the same time, I also know that my ideas of freedom cannot be realistically implemented in such a complicatedly constructed society. There will always be power-hungry people who try to oppress others."

"That's why you're with us," 47 said with conviction. "There will always be people like them. So there will always be people like us."

They both smiled at each other for a few moments until Lucas broke eye contact and stared thoughtfully into the distance. 47 knew that the situation was not palatable to his friend. Nevertheless, he swallowed the pill to stay with 47. In a first long conversation after his injection, Lucas explained his concerns and that he didn’t completely supported Diana's plan as 47 did. He didn't want to be part of an organisation he actually wanted to destroy. And even though Lucas talked himself into a frenzy again, depressing the general mood, 47 couldn't help listening happily and with relief. After all, Subject 6 was back and in his element. It was as if time had stood still. And if there was one thing 47 loved, it was stability.

In the end, Lucas didn't want to make up his mind quite yet. They talked through the night, where Lucas thanked him several times for not giving up on him and kept the ball rolling to get his memories back despite setbacks.

However, Lucas was still attached to suburban life, because it was indeed what he had always wanted: to live quietly and without fear a life among familiar faces and friends. So he started a discussion again with 47 about whether there was no other solution than to leave or stay. This time, the agent couldn't come up with many arguments why it was a bad idea to stay a little longer. After all, Lucas remembered everything - his training, the background and 47's job. So, 47 let himself persuaded: they would stay in Plymouth for a while. He openly admitted that he had enjoyed life at Lucas's side. Diana didn't like the decision at all, but quickly softened, knowing full well that they would both come back from boredom at some point. Nevertheless, she let her agent go for a month and promised to wait for him. For the first few days, they talked on the phone almost every day and gave each other status updates. Presumably they would keep this up, because both 47 and Diana seemed closer than ever. And 47 had no intention of changing that, even though he always wanted to keep the relationship professional. But Diana was good at keeping things professional, so it was up to her to push the relationship into the desired direction. 47 wasn't worried that it might get out of hand at some point. Lucas was convinced that the relationship had long since ceased to be neutral or professional, but kept a very low profile on the subject. Even Olivia, who was supposed to be going on a tour in Europe, promised to check in regularly. Mainly with Lucas, who was reluctant to let her go. His new gained fatherly instincts rang when he heard about the other hackers who took drugs and hung out in dubious clubs. Olivia had to promise on high not to take drugs and only go to dubious clubs armed. She also called in every day to give a status report. Rather, it was a check-up call from Lucas, who wanted to make sure she was doing well. His time in kindergarten as an educator had given him a different perspective on the relationship between him and Olivia. He was the opinion that he had to take care of her. Olivia had the opinion that at almost 30 she could make decisions for herself and Lucas should just get a dog to look after. Secretly, Olivia probably enjoyed Lucas taking care of her. Eventually they both laughed and concluded that Lucas still had 47 to look after. 47 didn't join in the laughter.

The last few days that he and Lucas had been alone were marked by the suburban feeling. Lucas continued to work at the kindergarten, although he had reduced his hours. 47 wondered about the fact that Lucas was fine with being in such an environment as a killing machine, but said nothing. His friend had a talent for instantly switching between Subject 6 and Lucas Grey whenever necessary. But in the end, they agreed that “Lucas Grey” could not stay forever. The past would catch up eventually. For this reason, they enjoyed the time before Mauritius as much as they could and played the happy couple from the suburbs. Such a time would probably not come again so soon.

When the funeral was announced and Zahra invited both men, even 47 felt uncomfortable for a moment. It was still not clear to what extent Zahra was privy to her father's business. Lucas was convinced that she knew nothing. Whether he was simply trying to protect her or was actually convinced, 47 didn't know. Therefore, he kept it to himself and did not let Diana in on it for the time being. She tended to overreact a bit and send in whole special units right away. Lucas and 47 wanted wait for the funeral and then decide how to proceed with Zahra.

They watched her for a while longer, as she thanked the guests several times and was even presented with gifts. Some friends from kindergarten stood next to her holding the envelopes and her wine glass.

When after several minutes there was no word between the men, 47 took a deep breath and looked for Lucas eyes. This one topic that was still so deeply anchored in him and had not yet found time to be addressed. It probably wasn't a good place or time to address his thoughts, but he felt the urge growing the longer he was by Luca's side; pretending that the situation in the forest had never happened.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Lucas looked at his friend in wonder. "Of course. You can always ask me anything."

"Why did you decide to commit suicide? Back in the woods."

Lucas looked into 47's blue eyes for a while without reacting. The question had obviously surprised him. It took him a few moments to answer. Also, because an old lady was just passing the table with her plate and they didn’t want to trigger a heart attack by talking about suicide. "It was a hopeless situation, 47. I wanted to see Providence fall, but not you. There were two options: you would have stepped in and died in the crossfire like I did, or I would have dutifully let them take me and probably end up dying at your hands because you would have been forced to fight me. I knew they were going to inject me with the serum to make me forget that I was actually on your side. I didn't want that. I didn’t want that for you either.” He closed his eyes for a while und sighted quietly. “What an irony that they injected me with it anyway."

"I would have gotten us out of there," 47 said firmly.

Lucas didn't seem to agree. He just smiled weakly and continued to stroke 47's hand under the table. "I didn't want us both to die. I gave up my life for you so that you could live and complete our pact. It was a fair trade."

47 applied some pressure to Lucas's hand. "No."

His harsh reply made Lucas's head spin in his direction. "It is what it is, 47. In the end, we did get lucky again. Or rather, I did. Not everyone gets a second chance after death. I almost feel like a saint. Coming back from the dead and all that." He laughed at that und tried obviously to lighten up the mood. But 47 didn’t join in. He was still moodily watching his partner.

Zahra seemed to be in the final stages of thanking and being swarmed by guests. She looked exhausted, but the distraction seemed to do her quite good.

"Promise me you will make different decisions in future situations," 47 demanded.

"I can't promise you that," Lucas whispered, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to make such a decision. " If I had to choose between you and me – who would die? It would always be me.”

"No. Promise me," 47 said more forcefully, almost crushing Lucas's hand in his.

Like a toddler, Lucas pressed his lips together and lifted his nose. He stayed silent.

"6," 47 admonished again, staring him down. But his partner remained unyielding and pressed his lips together so hard they turned white.

Before 47 could think about how he would best get Lucas to deliver on his promise and, if necessary, force him off the chair, Zahra came up to them. 47 was forced to end the discussion for the time being. But he would not give up. Such a situation should never occur again. If Lucas made the decision to play the martyr again, 47 would probably break. He was aware of this.

In the evening they went together to 47's flat, which was now also Lucas's flat. Little by little he got rid of personal belongings from his old flat and gave them away to colleagues or children. In return, they shared almost everything that previously belonged to 47: bathroom items, clothes and the bed. Sometimes they fell into old patterns and talked about missions, organisations and weapons. Then again, they remained silent for several hours. But most of the time they were in a pleasant equilibrium, which made it clear to 47 once again that Lucas and he were very similar and yet different enough that it was never boring but always comfortable. In particular, Lucas's open and honest nature was in stark contrast to 47's closed and quiet nature. But their symbiosis grew stronger day by day, so that even 47 sometimes said more than a few sentences a day or even made a joke once in a while. But they knew they were playing with time. Sooner or later, the past would catch up with them, which is why their suburban life had an expiry date. For the safety of Lucas's colleagues and the children.

47 could hardly wait to get back to his old life, even though he enjoyed his time in Plymouth very much. It almost felt like another dimension where he was allowed to live for a few days. Still, he longed for his destiny of fulfilling missions. Even though Lucas argued vehemently against it, 47 could see certain patterns in his partner that suggested he very much enjoyed putting a stop to bad guys as well and couldn’t wait for a little bit of action.

This time 47 returned to his job, having enjoyed _true_ freedom. And another thing was different from before: he had Lucas by his side and a great team consisting of an analyst and a hacker who were always supporting in the background. For the first time in years, 47 felt that his life consisted of more than just him being a weapon. _And it felt good._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! ✨🎉✨
> 
> That was my version of how Hitman 3 ended because Lucas never died and all four of them live a happy life together! 💕
> 
> To be honest, I see Lucas and 47 as one heart and soul, not so much as a typical couple (even though that's exactly how I portrayed them in this story). All I want for them is comfort and love and happiness.
> 
> I just would have liked IOI to "write out" Lucas (and Olivia) somehow, to the extent that they just pursue other things while Diana and 47 do their job together. That way they could have designed new games in the future without Lucas and Olivia (if that's what they were aiming for). There was simply no reason to write him out so stupidly...  
> Well, before I start bitching and crying again, I'll leave you with a big thank you and hope again that you enjoyed the story! It did me good to get it all off my chest and I hope to have sweetened the time for one or the other!
> 
> Thanks to all the kudos and comments, I very much appreciated it! ❤


End file.
